Lessons Learned
by NV Oracle
Summary: What do you get when you mix a 12 yr old victim in a wheelchair, the mystery of his bad luck, and the team? This story, hopefully. DuCaine, eventually, but also Horatio/OC and H/the team, both as Family. Please R&R New! Chapter 78 is now up.
1. Chapter 1

This is a story that my partner in crime, HCrazy has been helping me with. I'm probably about 1/2 to maybe even just 1/3 of the way done, and before I go too much further with it, I wanted to know if you thought I should.

This story is about little Stevie Douglas, and the rotten string of bad luck that he's been having. He's Calleigh's adopted nephew/godson. The story is about how he meets the team, and how the team takes to him, and some of the changes that happen as a result.

Please let me know what you think. Constructive criticism, and praise, of course, LOL, will be greatly appreciated, but if you're going to shoot me down in flames, just because you don't agree with what I've written, please, don't bother. I realize that I've supposed an awful lot with this story, but I thought it was there for the supposing, so I did.

Oh, yeah, and just to let all of you know, I have done as much research as possible for areas where I needed to research, but I'm not perfect, although I may have tried to be at one time, LOL. All I'm saying is that all mistakes are mine.

I guess, now would be a good time to put my disclaimer in. I do not own CSI:Miami, or any of the characters you'd recognize, they belong to Jerry and the gang over at CBS. I do, however, 'own' everyone else, especially Stevie, as well as the idea behind the story. I'm not making any money off of this. It's just for my enjoyment, as well as anyone else who reads it.

I dedicate this story, first, to HCrazy, for all of her invaluable help in getting it from my brain to the keyboard. She's stroked my ego, and helped settle some of my fears, just when I needed her to, and she's also helped with the avenues of research that I've had to take on it.

Secondly, I dedicate the story to my Mom. Although she is no longer with us, it is through her example, that I am continually reminded of her. I love you, Mom, and I sure do miss you.

Finally, I dedicate the story to my brother, the real writer of the family, who has also encouraged me to post the story. "You won't know what they think, sis, unless you post it."

So, without further ado, I give you the first chapter of Lessons Learned.

Lessons Learned

By

NV Oracle

Chapter 1

Lieutenant Horatio Caine stood near the front doors to the South Beach Miami Events Center, with his hands at their customary places on his hips, having taken in the electric atmosphere around him.

Luckily the humidity had come down from earlier in the day, so that now it was only sweltering instead of the oppressively hot that it had been.

The parking lot had begun to fill up with cars and groups of people, mostly families with adolescent to young children, who made their way to the doors and the ticket booths.

He remembered a time when he would have brought his nephew, Ray Jr, to an event like this. Now, even though he's here by himself, he doesn't feel lonely, thinking about him.

Several of the men who pass him, nodded their respects to him, and he knew that he was being recognized. He also knew that there was more than one factor that was causing this to happen.

Being the lead investigator for the Crime Scene unit with the best 'solved' rate, not only among the other teams at the lab, but also across the state, and possibly even the country, didn't necessarily help, but he knew that his description was what, more often than not, what got him noticed.

The intimidating man stood 6 feet tall, and knew that was one of the reasons for his recognizability. He also knew that his fiery red hair was another reason. For whatever reason, he had been 'gifted' with his mother's red hair and phenomenal blue eyes. His younger brother had been similarly gifted, before he had been forced to change them for the undercover assignment he had been given.

The lines in front of the ticket booths eventually thinned out, then disappeared all together. Just as the red head moved towards the doors, four men in black clothes and masks noisily ran out of the ticket box office, just as a van pulled up.

One of the men opened the passenger door and two of his companions jumped in ahead of him, as the fourth man ran around to the driver's side and pulled a brunette woman out of the seat.

The driver burned rubber for several feet before taking off. At first, Horatio tried to give chase to the van and fired several rounds from his police service revolver at the van, when the brunette woman who had been pulled out of the driver's seat came up to him. "Please, don't. My son, Stevie is still inside and they might hurt him."

The side door of the van opened and a body was dropped out of the van, followed by a wheelchair."No!! Stevie!!" The woman called out as the body hit the pavement and rolled several times. She moved to go to the body, but the red head stopped her.

"I'll go check him. Stay here." Horatio ran out to where the body laid, followed by a younger, Hispanic man. "You ok, Eric?"

"Yeah, I'm good, H. What about you?"

Instead of answering his younger companion, the red head replied. "Let's check on our young friend here." Turning to the boy, he instantly took stock of a boy with reddish brown hair and the very basic beginnings of a muscular body. While puberty hadn't hit completely, it's not that far away. He also noticed blood beginning to soak through the boy's shirt, as well as the glass around, and, presumably, underneath him. "Go ahead and call 911, Eric. He's still alive, but he landed on some of this glass."

The Hispanic younger man stood and opened his phone. The red head was aware of it as he told the operator. "My name is Eric Delko, I work with the Crime Lab, as a CSI. Currently, I'm at the South Beach Miami Events Center, where there appears to have been a robbery at the Ticket Box Office. Four suspects misappropriated a 2007 Chevrolet Express van, Florida plates GSX 685. We need an APB on it and we have one person injured. We need paramedics, an ambulance, MDPD and the team from CSI." He listened for a moment, then closed his phone and knelt beside the red head. "They're on the way, H."

"Very good." The red head replied. "Let's check on our young friend here." Turning his attention to the youngster, he began to examine the boy, as gently as possible, for any other additional injuries, as Horatio called out to him. "Stevie? Can you hear me, son? You're going to be ok."

The boy's head rolled as he groaned and his eyes began to blink open. Suddenly he reared back and punched the red head square in the chest, surprising him with the force behind the blow.

"H!!" The younger man called out.

Horatio held up one hand. As his breathing returned to normal, he looked over at his younger friend for just a minute. "I'm ok, Eric. He just surprised me." He sees the mother running up to them.

"I'm really sorry he did that. Are you ok?" She asked.

The red head turned to her. "Yes, ma'am. I'm fine. He just surprised me." He noticed that she arched her eyebrows at him, clearly showing how much she actually believed him, then he turned back to the boy. "Stevie? You still with us, kiddo?"

The boy's head rolled again and his eyes blinked faster, as he moaned. His eyes stayed open and he looked up at Horatio. "I'm sorry I hit you. Did I hurt you?" He reached up and pressed his hand lightly against the red head's chest.

"You didn't hurt me, Stevie. I'm fine." He leaned into the boy's hand, increasing the pressure ever so slightly. "What about you? How are you doing?"

"That's a good question." The boy replied thoughtfully. "I think maybe I might have landed on something."

"Why do you say that, Stevie?" Mom asked.

"My shirt feels wet and it feels like I'm on fire."

The ambulance pulled up. The paramedics came over. "Hey, there, Lt. What's going on?"

"Sorry to bring you out, Gentlemen." The red head greeted them. "My young friend here was dropped out of a moving vehicle. He needs to go to the hospital."

"We've got it, Lt. Don't worry, we're going to take care of it." They knelt next to the boy. "We're going to check you out, ok?" When the youngster nodded, the brunette paramedic asked. "What's your name?"

"Stevie Douglas." The boy replied."Alright, Stevie. How old are you?"

"I'm 12."

Before the paramedics could ask anything else, a shorter blonde woman hurried up to them. "Eric, H? Are you two ok?"

"Sure, Calleigh, we're both ok." The red head tried to reassure her."Is that you, Aunt Calleigh?"

The blonde looked from the adolescent to his mother. "Stevie? Jessica?" She wrapped her arms around the boy's mother, then looked from her to the red head. "What happened?"

"There was a robbery and the perps grabbed the van on their way out." He explained.

"Are you two ok?" She asked the boy's mother.

"Yeah, I'm fine, but they dropped Stevie out the door."

As she looked the boy over, she asked. "Stevie?"

"Yeah, I know, Aunt Calleigh. It seems like I can't win for loosing. I'm out of the hospital not even two weeks, and now, I'm going back in."

One of the paramedics explained. "Ok, Stevie, we're going to pick you up and put you on the gurney, ok?"

Before the boy can respond, Horatio motioned for Eric to come with him. "Hold on a minute." He and Eric looked over the boy at each other and took each of Stevie's hands in one of their own. "One quick question, Stevie. Why were you in the hospital before?"

The boy grinned up at him crookedly, the medicine in the IV working it's magic. "My Dad and I were in an accident. He was killed and I lost the use of my legs. I was in the Rehab Center at the University."

"You mean for a Spinal Cord Injury?" Eric asked before the red head has the chance to."Yes, sir."

"Ok, Stevie." The older man began. He looked over at Eric and got a nod, then turned back to the boy. "We're going to lift you. If you start hurting, then squeeze mine and Eric's hands, ok?" When the boy nodded, Horatio turned to the paramedics, and looked at Eric. "Ok, One, two, three, ok, lift him."

The instant they do, Stevie's eyes slammed shut, and he bit his lip, trying to hold in a groan. Horatio and Eric both felt him instantly tighten his grip on both their hands. Just as they got him over the gurney, Stevie can't hold out. "Put me down, please……..it hurts." The boy's breath is almost gone.

"Hold on, Stevie. I know it hurts, son. We're almost there." H told him.

The paramedics have laid the boy's legs on the gurney, and realized that Eric and H still had the boy's upper body. "He needs to go to the hospital, Lt."

"I'm aware of that. Give us just another minute." The red head replied. Turning to the boy, he adds. "Stevie, we're going to lay you down. It might be uncomfortable for a minute or so, but try to relax, ok?"

As they leaned him back, the boy relaxed into the gurney. Eric traded a grin with H over the boy's body. "Ok, you're doing great, Stevie. Listen, I will catch up with you later. I've got some things to do here, but I want to get you to the hospital. Ok?"

The boy nodded. "It's not a problem, Lt. I know that you're going to be busy with this for awhile." He paused for just a moment. "I really am sorry I hit you, Lt. I guess I thought you were one of the robbers coming back to finish the job."

The red head leaned in to the youngster and brushed a lock of hair from the boy's forehead. "Stevie, listen to me, partner. You. Did. Not. Hurt me. Ok? I don't want you to worry about me, ok? I'm fine. I can understand if you thought I was one of the robbers. In fact, I would have been worried if you hadn't reacted that way. It was completely natural to have done what you did, ok? I'm not mad at you and you didn't hurt me, ok?"

"Only if you're sure?" The boy replied.

"I'm positive. I'll catch up with you at the hospital. Try not to give the doctors a hard time." H and Eric moved to wheel the gurney into the waiting ambulance.

"Darn." The boy snapped his fingers. "Ruined all my fun again." As the men chuckled behind him.

H turned to the boy's mom, and holds his hand out to her, with a smile. "Ma'am."

She smiled back at him. "Thank you, sir." She took his hand as he helped her into the ambulance.The red head closed the door behind her and hit the side twice.

As the ambulance took off, the red head absently rubbed his hand over the center of his chest, where the boy had hit him.

Eric and Calleigh both noticed what his hand was doing as they walked up to him from different directions. Calleigh winked at the Cuban young man as she asked. "You sure you're ok, Handsome?"

The red head dropped his hand quickly. "Yes, Calleigh, I'm fine." He turns to look directly at the blonde. "Let's get this show on the road."

He walked into the ticket office, and as he pulled off his sunglasses, he took a quick visual survey of the room. "Frank, what have we got?" He walked up to the taller Texan.

"Not much other than what you already know, H." Tripp looked down at his notebook. "A robbery of all available cash in the office by four unknowns, all dressed in black. Multiple bullet holes and casings all over the place."

"Ok." Horatio looked around again, then noticed the man the Texan had been interviewing. "Who's this?"

The Caucasian man shifted under the red head's gaze. "This is Jeremy Markham." The Texan explained. "He's the office Supervisor for this shift."

"How much longer is this going to take?" The Caucasian man grumbled "I've got reports to fill out and calls to make."

Horatio's eyebrows climbed into his hair as he and Frank exchanged a look. "Mr Markham, there has been a robbery, and a young boy may loose his life. It's going to take as long as I need for it to and not a moment less. How much money was taken?"

Markham sighed. "I'm not sure. We were just beginning to count the Trotters' ticket sales when they broke in."

"Was the office fully staffed today?"

Now the man nodded. "Because we were talking about ticket sales for games for the Harlem Globetrotters, not only were we fully staffed, but I had called in some overtime for today as well."

That puzzled Frank. "Overtime? Why today?"

Markham chuckled. "You've got to be kidding? The Globetrotters are more popular than the Heat. Even with pre-order sales as a given, I knew we'd be busy with day of event sales, and we were. I was glad I had the extra help."

"We're going to need a list, not only of the people that worked today, but also of all your other employees." Horatio told him. "Also, I've noticed that you have cameras in here, do you have them out in the parking lot, too?"

Markham nodded again. "Yes, of course."

"We're going to need the tapes for today." Horatio told him.

Horatio could tell by the way the man sighed again, that he'd been inconvenienced. He turned to walk away without another word and headed toward the back of the office where his CSI's had gathered to wait for his orders. "Calleigh, there's multiple shell casings, both in here and out there, please be careful with them. Eric, there should be some usable prints in here, but I'll bet your going to find a lot of smudges and/or partials, so take your time, and be careful. Also, there's going to be some surveillance tapes to look over, Mr Wolfe. You may also have some trace to deal with too. Frank is getting the employee lists, so we have that covered."

"Horatio, Eric was telling me that before Jessica called you off, you got a couple of shots off at the van. Will casings from your gun be among the ones outside?"

"Actually, yes, they will." He pulled his service weapon and gave it to her. "Get it back to me when you can." He turned to Eric. "I may have hit the van, Eric. Double check the video and see if I did or not."

"We've got it covered, H. Don't worry." Eric reminded him as they moved away to begin doing their jobs.

"Ok, ladies and gentlemen, the balls in our court now." Horatio put his sunglasses back on, then turned toward the door. "Let's show them we play for keeps." He walked out.


	2. Chapter 2

Lessons Learned

By

NV Oracle

Chapter 2

Later, Horatio made his way down the mostly empty halls of the hospital, until he saw Stevie's Mom sitting in the hall, with her eyes closed and her head back. "Excuse me? Mrs Douglas?"

The woman's head came up and she turned to him in surprise. "Lt? What brings you? Shouldn't you be heading towards home and a bed?"

He chuckled. "I will, in awhile. I wanted to check on Stevie, as well as to let you know that we are working on the case."

She arched her eyebrows at him. "You mean the robbery?" She asks.

"That's fair." He remarked. "The robbery is important, yes, but you and Stevie are just as important, at least to me."

She looked at him in surprise. "We don't want you to get into trouble, though, Lt. Please, do not jeopardize your position because of us. It's not worth it."

He turned towards her, matching her pose. "My definition of value is a bit different from that, Mrs Douglas. You let me worry about that, ok?" When she doesn't respond, he continued. "I do have one question, though."

"Ok?" She replied.

"I don't suppose the van had a GPS unit, did it?"

She nodded. "Actually, yes it does. The Insurance wouldn't help us get the van, unless it was equipped with it. Why do you ask, Lt?"

"It's an avenue to explore during the investigation, that's all, Mrs Douglas."

"Oh, ok." She leaned back with her head against the wall.He matched her pose. "How's Stevie? Any word yet?"

"They're in with him, now. Dr Fitzgerald was saying that above his threshold that he will need to be given a local anesthetic, but below that, where he doesn't feel anything, of course, they don't have to worry about it."

"I'm going to need the glass when they're done." He told her.

"Ok. I'll tell them." She explained.A blonde man in green scrubs came out of one of the rooms. She stood to meet him. "Ron?"

The man smiled. "He's fine, Jessica. We've removed all of the glass, and it was all relatively superficial anyway. No vital organs were damaged, or even in any danger. He's resting off the local we've given him. At this point, we're only going to monitor him for infection and pain. Once we're sure that he won't develop an infection, and we have the pain and discomfort under control, we'll let you take him home." The doctor explained.

"Very good." She responded. "How long is that likely to be?"

He thought on that for just a minute. "Well, with no infection, and control of the pain, about a week. If he develops one, only once it's cleared up."

"Fair enough. Can I see him?" She asked.

"Just for a bit. I want you to go home, and get some sleep."

She chuckled. "Yes, Doctor."

He turned back the way he had come, and she followed him into the room, with Horatio behind her. She noticed that the boy's eyes are closed. "Stevie?"

The boy's eyes slowly blinked open. After awhile, his eyes focused on her. "Hey, Mom."

She smiled at him. "Hey, yourself. How are you feeling?"

"About like I look, I imagine, but I'm doing ok, considering."

She smiled down gently at her son. "Dr Fitzgerald says you're going to be fine in a few days."

"Well, he should know." The boy replied. "Mom, has that Lt caught up with us, yet?"

"I'm right here, Stevie. What's up?" H asked.

"I'm glad you were able to come back by, Lt, even though it's probably time for you to be heading on home to your own family isn't it?"

Horatio's head ducked, with a shy grin. "It's not that late, Stevie, but I am heading home in a little while. I just wanted to make sure the doctors were treating you ok."

"Oh, yeah. I'm fine, Lt. Speaking of Doctors, are you still here, Doctor Fitz?"

"I'm right here, Stevie. What's up?"

"Well, could you do me a favor and check the Lt out?"

"Sure." The doctor replied. "Can I ask why?"

The boy looked a bit sheepish. "It's actually kind of embarrassing, Doctor Fitz, but at the robbery site, one of the robbers dropped me out of the van, which is how I got all the glass in me. When I landed, I must have hit my head. When I came back, I felt someone checking me out and I guess I freaked. I must have though he was one of the robbers and that he was coming back to finish me off…….and I……well, I hit him, with everything I had. I'll grant you that it's not all that much, but I would still feel better if he got checked out. Please?"

"Sure, Stevie. We can do that." The doctor looked over at the red head with an 'after you' tilt to his head.

"Stevie, wait a minute." Horatio backed up, putting his hand up, stopping the Doctor's advance. "What makes you think you got me?"

"Well……….." The boy paused for just a minute. "Even though you answered my Mom and your friend, Eric, that you were ok, your voice was different."

"It was?" He looked at Stevie's Mom, with his eyebrow climbing into his hair. She cracked a grin at him and nodded.

"Mm, hmmm." The boy replied. "I could tell I surprised you, just like you said, but you were uncomfortable, too."

The older man leaned into him. "Stevie, I'm fine. You did not hurt me, but if it will make you feel better, I'll let the Doctor check me out." When the boy nodded, Horatio turned to the doctor. "Lead the way, Doctor."

The blonde pulled back a curtain. "Get rid of both the shirt and the jacket and hop up here, for me, please, Lt?"

At first, the red head shed his jacket with no problems, then he opened the shirt cuffs. As his hands moved to the fabric, he asked. "Is this really necessary, Doctor?"

When the doctor looked over at him questioningly, Horatio explained. "When Stevie hit me, yes, he caught me by surprise, although, yes, I should have been more prepared for it. I didn't though, I was more concerned with making sure that he was ok. He hit me in the center of my chest, right over my sternum. He did not hurt me, though. I'm fine."

Doctor Fitzgerald noticed that the red head's hands have stopped halfway down the front of his shirt. "How about you let me see for myself, ok?"

Horatio tilted an eyebrow at the doctor, but continued to unbutton his shirt the rest of the way, pulling the tails out of his slacks. He purposely left the garment on, but opened it completely, as the doctor had requested. As he sat on the gurney next to him, he told the Doctor. "Oh, yeah, Doctor, by the way, I'm going to need the glass that you pulled out of Stevie, please?"

"I beg your pardon?" The Doctor arched his eyebrows at the man.

The red head cracked a grin. "Perhaps some introductions are in order." He held his hand out to the Doctor. "Lt Horatio Caine, with MDPD's Crime Scene Investigations unit, Doctor. We're going to need the glass for evidence, please?"

"That's not a problem, Lt. I'll get it for you before you leave." Doctor Fitzgerald replied, shaking the man's hand.

The red head then laid down on the gurney.

Both Stevie's Mom and Doctor Fitzgerald noticed the scaring around both of the red head's sides and over the man's shoulders. They shared a quick look over the red head that mutually agreed to not say anything, for the time being.

"Well, you are right about one thing, Lt." The doctor began.

"What's that, doctor?" He asked."You've already got the start of a humdinger bruise, right here on the center of your chest." Doctor Fitzgerald slowly began to press down on it. "Does that hurt?"

"No." At least the red head waited a minute before giving the standard answer.

The doctor continued with the exam, palpitating the red head's abdomen. "That?"

"No. I've told you, Doctor. I'm fine." He replied.

The doctor pulled off his stethoscope and puts the earpieces into his ears. "Bare with me for just a few minutes longer, please, Lt?" He leaned in and put the flat metal disk against the red heads chest. He moved the disk several times, then pulled the plugs from his ears, then draped the 'scope around his neck.

"Alright, Lt. I guess you are ok, as you say, but if that bruise gets any bigger or if it causes you any more pain than it is now, please come back, or at least see your own doctor."

"I will, Doctor. Thank you." The CSI replied as he sat up, and began to button his shirt.

"I'll be right back. I'm going to get the glass for you that we pulled out of Stevie." The Doctor headed for the door.

"Thank you, Doctor." The red head stood to tuck his shirt back in. As he turned to grab his jacket, he saw Stevie's Mom looking back at him with a strange expression on her face. "Is something wrong, Mrs Douglas?" He asked, tilting his head at her.

She blinked back to the here and now. "No. I'm sorry, Lt. Nothing's wrong. My mind was on another planet, I guess."

Suspecting where her mind truly was, he cracked a shy grin her direction as he walked over toward her. "How about we go check on Stevie?"

They walked back over and noticed that the boy was asleep. Doctor Fitzgerald came back in with a canister full of small glass pieces. "Here you go, Lt."

"Thank you, Doctor." He took the canister. Turning to Stevie's Mom, he added. "Do you need a ride somewhere, Mrs Douglas?"

Just as she's about to answer 'no', Doctor Fitzgerald responded for her. "Actually, yes, Lt, if you don't mind? Would you please give her a ride back to their temporary apartment? I really don't want her wandering around alone."

"That's not a problem, Doctor." He replied, turning to her. "In fact, whenever you're ready, Mrs Douglas."She wrote a short note for her son, then turned to the red head. "Ok, I'm ready. Let's go." As they began to move towards the door, she told the doctor. "I'll see you in the morning, Ron."

"Not too early, Jessica, please?"She chuckled. "I promise." As they walked out.


	3. Chapter 3

Here's chapter 3. Sorry it's a bit short, but I was afraid of having it too long, with the next chapter. Some of the mystery is revealed here, so hang on. 'Here we go'.

Enjoy.

Your friend

NV Oracle

Chapter 3

The next morning, at the lab, the group was in the break room just before the 'official' start of their shift. Horatio walked in and moved to the counter to get a cup of coffee. "Calleigh, what can you tell me about Stevie and his mom?"

"You mean 'what' as in everything?" She asked as she watched him walk over and sat at the table next to her. He nodded. She chuckled "Lord, where would I start?" She asked rhetorically. "Ok, but, Horatio, it's complicated. I don't want you taking on more than you can chew."

"You let me worry about that, ok?" He told her with a chuckle.

Feeling suspiciously like a family member he would have used that line on, she sighed, putting her thoughts together for a moment. "Ok. Well, he and his dad were driving home from an Art Exhibition when they were involved in an accident coming off the freeway. Steve Sr was killed and Stevie's spine was broken, and his spinal cord was mostly severed. He has limited control over his lower body, and can roll himself over in bed, but he'll never walk on his own or even stand, unaided, ever again."

Alexx walked over to the table and sat down. "That doesn't mean he won't be able to live a full, complete life, though. You do know that, don't you, honey? Some sports have been adapted for wheelchair athletes and there is some exercise equipment that has been made specifically for wheelchair dependent individuals."

"That's not the problem, Alexx." Calleigh replied. "The problem currently is some of the people around him. Stevie is having problems getting along with his PT, his physical therapist, and the construction company is taking it's sweet time renovating the house."

That last comment had the red head puzzled. "Why would the house have to be renovated?"

Before either Calleigh or Alexx had the opportunity to answer him, Ryan poked his head into the break room. "H, we've got something for you to see from that robbery last night."

"Ok." He followed the younger man back to the A/V lab. "What do you have for me, gentlemen?"

"You're not going to believe this, H." Ryan remarked.

"Yeah." Cooper agreed with a grin. "I've seen it and I still don't believe it."

Calleigh came in the door just in time to hear it when Horatio told the two younger men. "How about you let me see for myself what all the fuss is about?"

"Yes, sir." Cooper typed furiously on his keyboard for just a moment, then sat back to observe the older man's response.

He and Calleigh looked to one of the monitors. It very clearly showed the robbery in progress, when one of the robbers removed his gloves to continue working. Horatio looked over at Calleigh. Her expression showed that she's thinking pretty much what he was.

"Well, you're right about one thing boys." She told them. "That's definitely going to go into the History books as one of the Criminal's Dumbest Moves." She chuckled.

Horatio's smile agreed with her. "Very nice work gentlemen. Mr Wolfe, please let me know when we either have him in custody or very nearly." He looked down at the A/V tech. "Mr Cooper, do we have the tapes from the outside of the Events Center, yet?"

Cooper looked back up at the red head. "Yes, sir, we do, but, I'm sorry, H, I haven't had the chance to look at them yet."

"Not to worry, Mr Cooper." Horatio commented. "Do me a favor and bring them up, please?"

"Sure." Cooper started typing like crazy. "Ok. Here they are." The monitors all showed various viewpoints of the parking area around the Events Center.

"Ok. First off, can you synchronize them, so that they're all showing the same time?" Horatio asked, knowing this was something the younger man could, in fact, do.

Cooper nodded as he typed. The monitors adjusted, so that they all were showing the same time on the clock display.

"Ok, good." Horatio watched the screen for a minute. "Now, can you fast forward them to, let's say about 5 minutes, roughly, before the robbers come out of the office, and run for the van?"

Again, Cooper nodded as he typed. After a minute, the recordings on the monitors fast forwarded up to the point that Horatio had asked for.

He stood there, staring at the monitor for a minute, then said. "Ok. Run it for me, please, Mr Cooper."

"Sure, H." The young man responded, as he typed on the keyboard.The video started running at normal speed, and after another minute, Stevie and his Mom pulled up in the van. Almost right away, the robbers came running out of the Events Center Ticket Office and forced their way into the van.

"Ok, stop the recording, Mr Cooper." Horatio asked as he walked toward one of the larger monitors.

"What are you seeing, Handsome?" Calleigh asked as Cooper stopped the recording.

"It's what I'm not seeing that is confusing me, Calleigh." He stood there, with his hands on his hips, the fingers of his right hand drumming absently on his holster, as he stared at the monitor. "Rewind back to the 5 minutes before, please?" He said to Cooper, without looking back at the younger man.

Calleigh shared a confused look with Ryan, as Cooper did as he'd been told. "What is it, Horatio?"

"Look at this picture, Calleigh, and tell me what's missing?" The red head continued to stare at the monitor.

The blonde came over to stand beside him, looking at the picture, concentrating on it. After another minute or two, she turned back to the red head. "Ok, I give up. What am I not seeing?"

"Calleigh." He chided her, gently. "You're not seeing a getaway car. What robber goes someplace to rob the joint, without a getaway car? What were they going to do, just walk away from the scene? Were they going to just hide out in cars parked in the parking lot, until the scene cleared? I don't think so. They knew that the van would be there, and that only Stevie and his mom would be in it, that's why there's no getaway car waiting, they knew they wouldn't need it." Horatio started to walk away, when his cell phone rang. "Horatio Caine." He listened for a moment. "Yes, Doctor, she's right here." He looked over at Calleigh, as he listened to the Doctor. "We're on our way, Doctor."


	4. Chapter 4

Lessons Learned

By

NV Oracle

Chapter 4

Horatio and Calleigh made their way to the hospital. They stepped off the elevator, and noticed Dr Fitzgerald at the nurse's station.

"Doctor Fitzgerald, how's Stevie?" Horatio asked before Calleigh could.

The blonde headed doctor turned to them. "Right now, he's holding his own, but he's developed an infection. His temperature has evened out to 103.5, but that's only partially why I called both of you."

When the two police officers looked at each other, puzzled, the doctor was just barely able to hold the laughter in. "Lt, you are the first and only person, other than his mother to be able to get past the boy's defenses. I'm going to need your help to get this temp down. I've been able, just barely, to talk him into an anti-biotic to kill the infection, but anytime any one of the nurses attempts to help cool him off, he puts up a fight. I'm hoping he will drop that façade for you." The doctor was not surprised to see the red head duck in embarrassment.

"I'll try, Doctor."

"I know you will, Lt and I appreciate it." The Doctor turned to Calleigh. "I will need your help, Ms Duquesne, with his mother. When I originally called her, far too early this morning, we initially just had a small spike in his temperature, now, of course, that small spike has grown, and she refuses to leave his side until it does go down. She's had nothing to eat, and won't take anything, unless he's awake and watching. She will, then of course, so that he won't worry about her."

The two CSI's traded looks. "We understand what the problem is, Doctor." Horatio told the man. "Please give us, just about 5 minutes, then come into his room. Whatever you do, don't tell either of them that you've called us, deal?"

The blonde doctor cracked a grin. "Deal."

The red head turned to his shorter companion. "Do you want to go first or should I?"

She thought on that a minute. "You probably should. That way, she will leave, without worrying about if he'll be ok by himself or not."

Horatio nodded. "Ok. Give me 3 or 4 minutes, then come in. Whatever you do, make it seem like we've come independently of each other." When the blonde woman nodded, Horatio turned and walked toward Stevie's hospital room. He got there just in time to hear an unfamiliar female voice say.

"Stevie, c'mon. Let me do this. You'll feel better trust me."

"No, go away. Leave me alone. I'm telling you, I'm fine." The youngster argued.

Horatio cracked a grin, and let out a sigh, just as he turned into the boy's room. He noticed a nurse standing by Stevie's bed, next to the boy's mother, as well as a couple of different machines that had not been there the previous night. Walking up to the other side of the bed, he forced cheerfulness into his voice, as he asked. "Hey, Stevie. How're you doing, partner?"

The boy's eyes, which had been closed, now snapped open. "Hey, Lt. You're here kind of early."

The red head chuckled. "It's not that early, partner. I was coming by to see how you were doing and to see if you needed anything. I did also have a couple of questions I needed to ask you, as well as get some information from your Mom." He tilted his head toward Jessica, and was pleased to see a quick grin. When he turned back to Stevie, he also noticed that the boy had several EKG sensors on his body that he had not had the night before. He traded a quick look with the Nurse, whose eyes went wide in recognition.

"I suppose Doctor Fitz told you about the infection, and my fever, didn't he?" The boy asked.

"Actually, no, he didn't." Horatio replied. "When did this happen?" He motioned to the boy's body.

Stevie looked confused. "You mean my EKG?" When the red head nodded, he explained. "This morning. Apparently, the infection got a quick hold because of all the 'trauma' I've experienced recently." The boy framed the word in quotes. "As a result, it was able to attack everything all at once, including my heart. Doctor Fitz just wanted to make sure that nothing else weird happened."

"No. We don't want anything else to happen." The red head agreed.

The nurse attempted to wipe the boy's face and chest down again, but he brushed her hand away. "Nancy, I told you, leave me alone." He reminded her impatiently.

"Stevie, you might feel better." His Mom tried to remind the boy gently.

"Yeah, well, every time she does that, I get sleepy and dopey headed." The boy argued.

"I'll be right back. I need to check his chart for something." The nurse, Nancy, hurriedly excused herself. She moved out of the room as seemingly innocently as possible.

Horatio watched her go with a puzzled look on his face. He and Jessica traded confused looks, as Jessica moved toward the basin. "Mrs Douglas, wait. Don't touch that." He stopped her, sharply.

He hurried over to that side of the bed, and leaned over to sniff the water. He made a face at something in the water, then turned back to Mrs Douglas. That smells like chloroform. How much did she use? "Do Not let him go to sleep, Mrs Douglas. Keep him awake." He moved toward the door, just as Calleigh walked in. "Calleigh, come with me, please, I need you as back up."

That confused the blonde. "Sure, Handsome. What's up?"

"I'm not sure. Hold on a minute." He saw the nurse come out of one of the rooms. He hurried toward her. "Nancy, stop. I'm a police officer. I know you recognized me." When he got to her, he asked in a soft voice. "What did you put in the water, Nancy?"

The woman looked at him in suspicion. "Nothing."

"How did I just know you were going to say that." Horatio asked sarcastically. He turned the woman around, and pulled his handcuffs, putting them on her. "You're under arrest for attempted murder, at least until I can figure out what you put in that water." Turning to Calleigh, he added. "Call Frank and Eric for me and get them up here. Tell Eric, we need a kit, too."

That puzzled Calleigh. "What happened?"

"I'll explain, later." The red head told her. Turning to the surprised Doctor, he added. "Doctor Fitzgerald. I'm going to need someplace to hold her until my Detective gets here. I'll also need a couple of Security officers to keep an eye on her."

The Doctor made a phone call, and two Hospital Security guards showed up very quickly. In the meantime, Doctor Fitzgerald had found a room where the woman could be held without interfering in the hospital rounds.

After awhile Frank and Eric came down the hall from the elevator with two MDPD officers in tow. "What's up, H?" The tall Texan asked.

Realizing how this will affect Calleigh, who is standing beside him, he said simply. "We've just had an attempt made on the life of the kid who was at the robbery last night."

Sure enough, Calleigh went white at the news, and even Eric was shocked by it. "Is the kid ok, H?"

"I believe so, Eric. I'm going to have his doctor check him out, in just a few minutes, but I wanted him processed first."

That got a puzzled look. "Processed. What for?" The young Cuban asked.

"I don't want to influence you, Eric. There is a basin full of water, next to his bed, that has the contaminated water in it. The water had been used, supposedly in an attempt to help treat his raising temperature. I want the water and the boy processed to show that the water was used on him. I'm hoping that it isn't what I'm afraid it might be, so I don't want to say anything that might influence you."

"No problem, H. What room is the kid in?"

Horatio noticed Dr Fitzgerald talking to an African American woman in a grey business suit with a red blouse. He called out. "Excuse me, Dr Fitzgerald?"

The blonde doctor came over with the woman in tow. "Lt, this is Tamika Youngblood. She's with Human Resources. I called her up here to see if this woman actually works for the hospital….."

"And…..?" The red head prompted.

"She does not, Lt. I don't have any idea who this woman may be, but she is in no way part of the staff here." The woman turned back to Doctor Fitzgerald. "Will the patient suffer any adverse affects from this, Doctor?"

Even Fitzgerald was aware of Horatio's reaction to her choice of words. "The patient's name is Stevie Douglas, Ms Youngblood. To answer your question, no, there should not be any adverse affects from the incident. Thank you for your time." The words no more left his mouth than she was headed towards the elevator.

Eric and Frank both shook their heads at the woman, then turned to the red head. "What's the plan, H?" Eric asked.

"Well," The red head thought about it for a moment, his hands coming to rest at their natural places on his hips, the fingers of his right hand subconsciously tapped out a rhythm. "Here's what I want to do. I just want Frank to meet him, at least for right now. Frank, we may need to put the boy, and his mother, in protective custody, if these sorts of incidents continue. Then, I'm going to tell him that you'll need to check him about the water, Eric. Then, once that's done, doctor, I want you to check him, and I will attempt to get him to relax and trust enough for us to be able to treat his temperature."

"How are you going to do that, H?" Frank asked innocently.

"That's where you come in." The red head replied, with a grin. "I'm going to 'let' my legs collapse under me. If you and Eric would be so kind as to catch me, Frank, then when I sit down in the chair, Calleigh, I will 'allow' you to treat me, to show him that there's nothing in the water. I'm hoping that he will be reassured enough that he will let his mother out of his sight, and vice versa, so that Calleigh, you can get her away enough to get something to eat, and to rest her mind a bit. While you two are gone, I will attempt to ask him the questions I originally had come here to ask him."

"Sounds like a plan." Eric agreed, as they all nodded to the red head.

"All right. Follow me." He walked back in to the room to stand on one side of the bed. Frank followed him to stand on the other side of the bed. "Stevie? You still with me, partner."

The boy nodded, as he blinked his eyes open. "Hey, Lt. I thought you had left."

"You can't get rid of me that easily, partner. I have someone I need you to talk to for just a minute, ok?" The red head indicated the other man. "This is Detective Frank Tripp. He works with us, and he has a couple of questions he needs to ask, ok?"

When the boy nodded again, the red head looked over at Tripp. "Stevie, did you know that Nurse at all from earlier?"

"Nope." The boy shook his head. "I'd never seen her before this morning."

"So, she had never helped with your physical therapy or anything?"

"No, sir."

"Ok." The Texan looked at the red head as he asked this next question, and smirked at the red head's raised eyebrows. "Your partner was saying that you were complaining of being sleepy when she would try to cool you off." The boy nodded. "How quickly did you get that feeling after she tried to help you cool off?"

The boy thought on that for a moment, with his eyes closed, and doesn't see the two men share an amused look. "I don't think it was instantly, Detective, but it couldn't have been more that a minute or two before I started feeling sleepy."

"Ok, Stevie. I think I have everything, at least for the time being." The Texan told him. "I do need to have Eric test you to see how much of that water the Nurse used on you. The test is going to be painless, ok?"

"No problem." The boy replied. "Thanks a lot for all your help, Detective Tripp."

"You're more than welcome, Stevie. Get well soon, so we can take you out to get into a little mischief." He winked at the boy as he held his hand out to him.

Stevie's little hand was swallowed up by the Texan's large one, even with the brace on it to protect the IV on the back, as he quickly agreed to the plan. "Sure thing, Detective. A little mischief never hurt anybody."

The adults laughed as Eric traded places with Frank. "Hey, there, Stevie. Do you remember me?"

The boy nodded. "Sure. How's it going, Mister Eric?"

"Not too bad." Eric replied. As he held up the swab, he explained. "I'm just going to run this over your skin, ok?"

Stevie nodded as he closed his eyes.

As he swabbed the boy's upper chest and face, Eric asked. "Hey, H. When did they do the EKG?"

Stevie's eyes opened. "H?"

The older man quirked a grin. "Yes, Stevie. That's my nickname. It's short for Horatio, my full first name."

_Well now, that's an unusual one if ever I've heard it._ The boy thought to himself. "As in the author, or Shakespeare?"

Now it's Horatio's turn to be surprised. "The author. My Mom loved to read in general, and she really liked that author, specifically."

"I understand what you mean." Stevie got a faraway look for just a minute. "I can always get lost in a good book." Turning to Eric, he added. "To answer your question, Mister Eric, they were doing the EKG this morning. I developed an infection from where some of the glass cut me last night and it caught up with me."

"That was fast." Eric remarked."Not especially, Mister Eric." Stevie disagreed. "Doctor Fitz says that it's because my immune system is down to nothing because of what happened, that the infection was able to run so much out of control."

The grownups all nodded at that explanation, as Eric packed things away. "Ok, H. I think I have everything. I'll run it to the lab and get started ASAP."

"Ok, Eric." The red head moved to turn away from the bed. "Let's step out…….." Suddenly, he grabbed the railing of the bed, as the world slowly tilted just off of center. "Whoa." He commented softly, under his breath.

"H!!" Eric noticed when the man grabbed for the railing. "Frank, Calleigh, grab him."

Frank and Calleigh got to him, at just about the same time, and maneuvered him to a chair. "Horatio?" Calleigh asked as she opened the second button of his shirt.

"I'm ok, Calleigh." He told her with what he hoped was a confident smile.

"Sure you are." Calleigh remarked sarcastically, partially under her breath, and she put the back of her hand first on his cheek, then across his forehead. "I don't know, you feel a little warm to me." She looked at him. "What happened?"

"It's hot outside, Calleigh." He replied. "The heat just got to me." The light twinkled behind his eyes, and he hoped to be able to say this with a straight face. "Besides, I was under the impression you and several of the other ladies at the lab had always thought I was a little hot." He winked at her, then chuckled when she blushed, right on queue.

"We've been in here for awhile, so you shouldn't be suffering the effects of the heat outside, especially since you never feel the heat anyway." She argued the point, then added. "Did you breath in the scent from that water?"

"He came over and smelled it, just before you came in, Aunt Calleigh." Stevie told her.

"Stevie, that shouldn't have been enough to do this." Horatio pointed out, then turned to Calleigh. "Come on, Calleigh, I know enough not to take a deep breath of something, just for this very reason. I may not know a lot, but I do know that much, at least."

Doctor Fitzgerald and a nurse walked in at that moment. "What happened?" He looked from person to person.

Calleigh looked up at the Doctor. "We're not sure, Doctor. He's seems to be fine now." Turning to the nurse, she added. "Would you please get me a clean washcloth?"

The nurse looked over at Fitzgerald, who nodded. As the nurse turned to get the item, Calleigh stood back up. "Eric, did you get shots of the basin with the water in it?"

He nodded. "I sure did, Calleigh."

"Ok, I'm going to empty it." She took the basin into the bathroom and emptied the water, then put it into a plastic bag. As she handed it to the Cuban young man, Calleigh added. "Be careful with it, Eric."

"Don't worry, Calleigh, I've got it." The younger man tried to reassure her.

"Ok."

The nurse walked back in at that moment, and Calleigh took the wash cloth from her and walked back into the bathroom. They all heard water running for a moment, then it turned off. After a minute, she walked back into the room. She walked up to the red head and said. "Close your eyes for a minute."

At first he looked up at her, critically, then moved his arms out, away from his body, and leaned his head back, closing his eyes.

"This is going to be a bit cold." She forewarned him as she spread the cloth on to her hand.

He mumbled. "Ok."When she put the cloth and her hand to his face, he took a sharp, involuntary breath in. "You weren't kidding about that being cold."

"Sorry about that." Calleigh replied. She wordlessly bathed his face, down his neck, and across his chest, as far as his dress shirt and suit jacket would allow. When she moved back up to his face and neck, she asked. "Feeling better? Hopefully more awake?"

He's aware of her scrutiny as she brought the cloth across his shoulders. When she tried to move it down, across his chest again, he grabbed her wrists, stopping her. She looked at him confused. "I'm fine, Calleigh, thank you." Horatio told her, knowing that if she pushed, he wouldn't be able to stop her from seeing his childhood written over his shoulders and down his back.

She nodded as she stood. "You're more than welcome."

As she walked the cloth back into the bathroom, he tentatively stood. When he doesn't wobble, he walked back over to the other side of the bed. "I'm going to step out for just a minute, partner, but I'm going to be right back, ok?"

"No problem, H." The boy replied. "Just please do me a favor and come back? I have a small favor I need to ask."

That puzzled Horatio. "Sure." He told the boy quickly. "I'll be right back." He escorted Calleigh, Eric, and Tripp out to the hallway.

"I'm going to take that woman back to Police HQ and we'll run her, see what happens. We'll be waiting for you there when you get the results back from those tests." Frank begins.

"And I will do my level best to have those results for you by the time you get back, H." Eric added his two cents worth.

"Thank you, gentlemen. I do appreciate it."


	5. Chapter 5

Ok, gang. I think I've got the problem with figured out, but it will take me a few days to get everything back up, so that I can start posting new chapters. Please bear with me, and I'll let you know. Thanks for your patience.

Lessons Learned

By

NV Oracle

Chapter 5

Some time later, Doctor Fitzgerald walked out to the hallway to find them waiting none too patiently. The Lt paced back and forth once more, then saw the Doctor come out of the room.

"Well, Doctor. How is he?" The red head got to the point.

"Not good, I'm afraid, Lt." Doctor Fitzgerald looked down at the child's chart. "Luckily his fever hasn't gone up too much more, but it hasn't gone down any either. That's where I'm going to need your help, Lt." When the man nodded, the Doctor continued. "Unfortunately, the infection doesn't seem to be getting any better, either. We've changed the antibiotic to something just a bit stronger, but I'm still going to have to clean out some of the incisions that have been created. The bottom line to that is, he's not going to be able to go to the beach or a swimming pool party without a shirt on."

Horatio fought himself to keep his expression neutral, remembering when he had been given that news from a medical professional. He had been older then than Stevie was now, and knew that not even the age difference would be enough to soften the blow. "When are you going to do this, Doctor?" Both Calleigh and the Doctor heard the tremor in the man's voice.

"Probably not until late, tomorrow. I would prefer to give the antibiotic a chance to work."

Both CSI's nodded at that.

"When will you allow him back into the gym, Doctor Fitzgerald?" Calleigh asked. "I know that he looks forward to his time there."

"Not for quite awhile, Miss Duquesne. He's in pain now from not only being dropped out of the van, but also landing on the glass, as well as the infection. Once I do the procedure, he will be in pain from that, the general anesthetic will only work for so long, you know. I will give him as much pain medication as he wants, but he's not going back into the gym, until he can move pain free."

Horatio looked up at the doctor, sharply. "Doctor, does it occur to you that he might not want to get hooked on the pain killers?" Calleigh noticed when the man's voice dropped into what the lab had jokingly referred to as the 'Danger Zone', when he's just barely holding his anger in.

"Pain is not good for anyone, Lt, but especially for a spinal cord injured person who is undergoing physical therapy. Pain is the body's indicator that you've pushed muscles to the edge. Especially with Stevie, I need him pain free when he goes for his therapy, because if he's allowed to he can seriously injure himself, by pushing the part of his body that still functions too far past that point." The doctor had not appreciated being challenged, especially by this CSI.

Horatio's voice dropped even further. "Does it occur to you, Doctor." The sarcasm was dripping from his voice. "That if anyone knows his limits that it would be Stevie?"

"Not when your talking to someone who is being forced into the roll of 'man of the family' Lt." The doctor's voice sharpened in it's challenging tone.

Calleigh stepped between the two men before anything could escalate. "Gentlemen. We're supposed to be a team here, remember?"

The two men stood there, glaring at each other, challenging each other, when Horatio looked away first, over to Calleigh. "You're right, Calleigh. I'm sorry." Turning back to the Doctor he asked. "At this point, our next order of business is to get Stevie's temp down, and to make sure that Mom eats something, right?"

"That's correct." The doctor's tone was still frosty.

Horatio moved to walk away, but Calleigh put her hand in the middle of his chest, stopping him. "Doctor, I believe you owe Lt Caine an apology."

Now he turned and glared at her. "What for?" He snapped.

She glared right back at him, and suddenly her lack of height was not an issue. "He is doing what you have asked of him, Doctor." She snapped back at him. "You've asked him to take time out of a very busy life to add something to it that will not only make things busier, but that will also cost him emotionally. When the Lt comes into a case where children are either victims, like Stevie, or they are survivors of a case, it always hits him hard. These kinds of cases are always hard to deal with emotionally, because children are the least capable of protecting themselves than anyone. You have asked him to make friends with this boy, and to risk not only his time, his money, but also his heart. He doesn't do that very easily, it's not in his nature, and now you want him to back off. Make up somebody's mind, would you, please?"

The Doctor thought on her outburst for a moment. "You're right, Miss Duquesne." He admitted. He looked over at the other man and held his hand out to Horatio. "You are also correct, Lt and I do apologize for what I said."

Horatio shook the man's hand. "No worries, Doctor. I'm also sorry for what I said. I know that we've all had very busy hours and I think we're pretty much running on empty, or at least very low."

The doctor chuckled. "This is very true. I'll let the two of you go. Thanks again for your help."

As the doctor turned down the hall to the nurse's station, Calleigh and Horatio went back in to Stevie's room. The head of Stevie's bed was raised just a bit, and the boy's face was showing tear tracks. In the meantime, the chair where his mother had been sitting was empty and there were sounds coming from the bathroom. Water was running and the toilet had been flushed.

Calleigh took one side of the bed, as Horatio took the other side. "Stevie?" Calleigh called out, gently, trying not to startle the boy.

He pasted on a semi fake smile as he opened his eyes, and wiped away the tears. "Hey, Aunt Calleigh. I thought you guys had left."

"We wanted to make sure everything was ok, before we went back to the lab." She told the boy.

Stevie chuckled. "Well, things are about as far from ok as they can be, Aunt Calleigh, but I guess they will be, eventually."

Horatio looked over to Calleigh and it's easy to see that they're thinking the same thing. He looked down at the boy. "Let's start with something relatively easy, Stevie. You said before that you needed to ask me a favor, what is it?"

"Oh, yeah. Listen, H. I know my Mom's been here since very early this morning. Even though I asked him not to, Doctor Fitz called Mom when my fever started to spike. I know she hasn't eaten much. If you don't have to run back to the lab right away, could you maybe take her to get something to eat, and make sure she eats it. I know she's not very hungry, because she's so worried about me, but she has to eat something……."

"Say no more, Stevie. I actually have an idea." The older man winked over the bed at Calleigh. They heard the door to the bathroom open, as Jessica came back out. She looked up in surprise realizing that the room was occupied with people other than just her son.

"Don't sit down, Jess. You and I are getting out of here for a bit." Calleigh told her with that no nonsense edge to her voice.

"We are?"

"Yes, we are." Calleigh replied, then winked in turn over at Stevie and Horatio. "We haven't had the chance to go out for 2.7 seconds of mischief in such a long time, that I think we're due."

"We certainly are." Jessica looked towards the bed. "Will you be ok, Stevie?"

"Sure, Mom. Go out and have a little bit of fun. I have H here. We'll be just fine."

"We have to let them go back to work, Stevie. They can't spend their entire day here with us." She argued.

"And we will, Mom. That's why you can only have about 2.7 to 3.0 seconds of mischief." The boy grinned at his mother. "I promise to not talk H's ears off, if you promise to get something to eat, deal?"

Jessica walked over to her son, and as she moved his hair out of his eyes, she bent down and kissed him on the forehead. "Alright, my boy, you have a deal."

"Mrs Douglas, before I let you go, did you ever find that information on the GPS unit that was in the van?" Horatio asked, as he tilted his head to look over at her.

"Actually, yes, I did, Lt." She dug in her purse for a moment, then pulled out an envelope. "Here it is." She hands it over to him.

He took it, with a quirk of a grin. "Thank you."

"You're more than welcome." She answered his grin with one of her own.

"Now, get out of here." Stevie kidded with her.

"Yes, sir." Mom replied, then wagged her finger at them. "You two, behave yourselves."

Stevie chuckled. "Yes, Mom."

Horatio grinned shyly, looking down at his hands. When he looked back up at her, he winked her direction. "Yeah, yes, Mom."

When the two women got to the door, Stevie snapped his fingers. "Darn. Just ruined all my fun. Again." He commented to Horatio, loud enough for his mother to hear.

The women laugh as they made their way down the hall to the elevator.

Meanwhile, back in the boy's room, Horatio put his hand, palm down, against Stevie's chest, noticing how quickly the boy's body was swallowed up, even by just his one hand. "How're you doing, partner?"

The youngster shrugged. "Ok, I guess."

Horatio moved to rest the back of his hand, first against the boy's cheek, then against his forehead. "You still feel warm to me. Hold on a minute and I'll be right back." The red head stopped long enough to remove his jacket, and draped it over the chair Jessica had been sitting in, then went into the bathroom.

Stevie heard the water run for a few minutes, then it turned off. Horatio walked back in and over to the bed. Stevie noticed that the man had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt approx half way up his forearms and was holding a washcloth in one hand.

"Do me a favor, please, Stevie, and close your eyes."

The boy looked over at him, confused. "Why?"

The older man quirked a grin at him. "Please, just humor me, for a minute. I want you to just relax, and let me help try to cool you off. You might do that a bit easier if your eyes are closed, ok?" He held the one hand with the washcloth out and away from his body.

"You're right, H. Sorry about that." The boy closed his eyes.

"Thank you." Horatio grinned at him, even though he knew that the boy couldn't see him. "This is going to be a bit cold, so hang on, ok?"

When Stevie flinched from the cloth after several times, Horatio asked. "Are you ok, Stevie?"

"I'm fine. You weren't kidding when you said that would be cold."

"No, I wasn't." Horatio told him.

After a few minutes, Stevie's breathing evened out.

"You still with me, kiddo?"

"Of course." Stevie opened his eyes, and looked over at Horatio. "You said before that you had a couple of questions you needed to ask me. Is it about the robbery and them taking the van?"

Horatio quirked a grin, then tilted his head at the boy. "I can't get anything past you. Yes, it is."

"What was it you needed to know, H?"

"First off, how was it that you and Mom were going to the Trotter's game?"

"Well, I had been having trouble making some of my goals in therapy and Mom said that if I met more of them, the next time they were in town, and if I was out of the hospital, that she would take me to see the Trotters play. That was one thing that my Dad and I always did, so Mom knew how much I would love to go see them again. I met the goals that my physical therapist set for me, just barely, but I met them, and Mom kept up her part of the bargain, and about a week ago, she told me that she had been able to get us tickets to go."

"Did you tell anyone that Mom had surprised you with tickets to the game?"

"You mean other than my friends?"

The man nodded as he moved the cloth once again across the boy's abdomen. "Yes, other than your friends from school, and people like Aunt Calleigh."

Stevie chuckled. "I told her too, but other than them, the only other person I told, unfortunately, is Dennis, my therapist." The boy sighed.

"Hold that thought for a minute, Stevie." Horatio walked back into the bathroom to wet the cloth again. When he came back to the boy's bedside, he dropped the railing on the right side, and lowered the bed, then sat down beside Stevie. "Why do you say unfortunately, Stevie?" As he moved the cloth to the boy's shoulders again.

Stevie flinched slightly from the cold cloth. "It's not something I can put my finger on, H, so maybe I'm just imagining things, but we just don't get along. One day we were having a difference of opinion, and I inadvertently let slip that Mom and I were going to the Globetrotter's game, what day of the week it was on, and at what time the game was going to be, everything. I was just so mad and frustrated that I let it slip."

"What do you mean you 'don't get along', Stevie?" As he moved the cloth down one shoulder and arm, then the other.

"It's hard to explain. When we're alone, just the two of us, he's mean. He calls me names and tells me that I can't do anything right, stuff like that, but when other people are in the room, he's all nice to me and everything, telling me I've done well with my therapy, all kinds of things like that. I don't know which to believe, which is the act. I'm just so confused." He sighed.

"I can see why. Have you tried telling Mom and Doctor Fitzgerald about any of this?"

"Doctor Fitz thinks I'm just making things up, but Mom believes me."

"Good. I knew Mom would. What's your PT's name?" Horatio noticed the boy was having a hard time keeping his eyes open.

"I only know his first name, H. It's Dennis." The boy thought about it for a minute. "I think Doctor Fitz would know what his name is."

"That's ok, Stevie. I'll ask Doctor Fitzgerald about it. Right now, I want you to close your eyes, ok?"

The boy cracked a sleepy grin, as he asked. "How's your bruise, H. Did it get any bigger? Does it hurt?"

Horatio tilted his head at the boy. "Stevie."

"What? I'm just asking a question." He feigned innocence.

"Uh, huh." The older man replied, not even convinced. "I'm fine, Stevie. No, the bruise has not gotten any bigger, and no, it doesn't hurt."

"Ok." The boy replied, as his eyes closed and stayed that way.

_Finally._ The older man thought to himself._ I may have my hands full. He's almost as big a handful as I was when Mom and Dad were killed, and I had to look out for Ray and I. Luckily he's not the adult in this situation, or I would be in trouble. I'm definitely going to have to mind my 'p's and 'q's around him, he's way to sharp for my own good._

After he watched the boy sleep for a few minutes, easily traveling the roads of his own thoughts, Horatio looked up at the monitor, and was pleased to find that the boy's temp had in fact gone down. He pulled the chair around so that Stevie could still see him, and made himself comfortable. After awhile, his own eyelids got heavy.

"No, Dad, please don't leave me. Don't leave us." Stevie mumbled in his sleep.

Horatio jerked up, hearing the boy's dream. He listened for a few minutes longer, as Stevie continued to mumble in his sleep.

"Dad, no. I'm sorry. Please, don't leave. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Please don't leave us."

Horatio moved to the bed. "Stevie, wake up, son. You're having a bad dream. Come on, kiddo, wake up."

The instant Horatio touched him, Stevie's eyes flew open and he jerked into a sitting position with "Dad!!" on his lips. Once he registered that he's awake, Stevie fell back into the bed, as tears quickly pooled."

Stevie, you're ok. It was just a bad dream." Horatio tried to tell him.

"It wasn't 'just' a bad dream, H. It was a nightmare." Stevie told him. The tears fell as Stevie explained, his voice quaking in the wind. "It's all my fault."

"What's all your fault, Stevie." Horatio asked tentatively, knowing that this could get rather complicated very quickly.

"It all is, H. Everything. Starting with the accident, and my Dad. He's dead and it's all my fault." Stevie's voice trembled even more noticeably, as the tears pooled.

Horatio sighed, and collected his thoughts for a moment. "Stevie, slow down a minute, Partner. How could the accident be your fault? You weren't driving, were you?"

Stevie chuckled, as he forced himself to move just enough to wipe the tears away. "No, I wasn't driving, but I might as well have been. I had asked my Dad to take me to the MC Eischer exhibit at the Miami-Dade Museum of Art, and he had agreed to, even though he had planned to be at the Lab that particular afternoon. Mom hadn't gone with us. She said that while Dad and I were getting into our 'brand' of 2.7 seconds of mischief that she and one of her friends could sit at the house and talk their girl talk. Dad and I were on our way home from the Exhibit and we were about 5 miles from our off ramp, when, just in front of us, about ¼ of a mile down the road there was an accident. A chain reaction pile up, I guess. Dad tried to slow the car down, so that maybe we could still avoid it, but the car wouldn't slow down. Dad kept pressing on the brake, but nothing would happen. We hit the car in front of us and the truck that was behind us, hit us. I knew Dad was in bad shape, and I couldn't move, even thinking hurt. I knew we were messed up. I guess he knew too, at least that he was seriously hurt, because he said that I had to be the man of the family now and to take care of my Mom."

The boy looked down at himself, shirtless, with EKG sensors taped in various spots, and incisions in various other locations all over his body. He knew that he had no strength, not only from the infection, but as a culmination of the last 6 months, and that, due to the incisions, that every little movement hurt, to use his words, even thinking hurt. As he looked up at the older man, all of what Stevie was thinking and feeling was summed up, not only in the words, but also the tears that manage to escape as he asked. "What possible 'man' am I going to be for any family, H, when I can't even take care of myself, or protect her at an otherwise innocent outing, like where we were going? What good will I truly be able to do from that blasted chair?"

Horatio knew that he needed to tread very carefully with what he told the boy and he took his time with his answer. "Stevie, when you're feeling better, you and I need to have a long talk. I think you're doing a pretty good job at this 'man of the family' business, even though you're just now getting into it." When Stevie looked up at him incredulously, he's quick to reply. "No, really. Think about this. Last night at the robbery site, you were defending yourself when you hit me. It's called the 'fight or flight response', Stevie. I'll need to show you my Psychology book where it talks about it. It's a completely natural response to a very strange situation. It's a protection mechanism. You've asked me today to help make sure that your Mom got away to eat and to rest her mind from worrying about you. That's protecting her, Stevie.

"You've been taking care of yourself, too, Stevie, when you didn't let that nurse do what she was trying to do to you this morning, and you've told me about your PT. You never did know exactly what it was that you didn't trust or like about them, just that you didn't.

"Protecting yourself and your family also means asking for help when you know that you can't do it yourself. You've been doing that, too, Stevie, with Aunt Calleigh and me. You only met me last night. What is it about me that makes me trustworthy and not them?" Horatio let the question hang only for a moment. "It's a sixth sense that most people have about other people, Stevie. For most people that sense is sharp enough to know when someone is truly wanting to be their friend or other times, when someone is trying to only pretend to be their friend. Yours is just starting to develop. Learn to trust it. So far it hasn't failed you."

Stevie looked up at him. "Are you sure, H?"

Horatio smiled. "Positive. Trust me. Mine is extra sharp because, as a policeman, I need to be able to tell instantly if someone is coming up to hurt me or help me. Most ordinary people use theirs without even thinking about it."

"Ok." The boy offered a tentative smile.

"Try to lean back and go back to sleep."

Stevie nodded, but as he leaned back, into the bed, he visibly flinched as his body touched the bed.

"Stevie, do you need a pain killer?"

The boy instantly shook his head. "No! No pain killer, H. I'm fine. I don't want to get hooked on the stupid things."

"Stevie, one, once in a while isn't going to hook you on them. If you take one, maybe you'll be able to go to sleep."

"Once in a while turns into all the time, and that is hooked on them. Besides, when I take them, I wake up feeling like I have a hangover, headache, nausea, the whole nine yards. No thank you." Stevie explained.

"Ok. Move over a tad, if you can. I'll be right back."

That puzzled Stevie. "Where are you going?"

The older man stopped at the door, and turned back to the boy, his hands finding their natural places on his hips, his right hand unconsciously taping out a rhythm. "Well, I'm hoping that Doctor Fitzgerald will say that you can have some normal things like a soda and a bag of chips or a candy bar. If he does, do you have any requests?"

Stevie laughed. "He's not going to let me have anything with caffeine in it, so, yeah, I'll take a Root Beer, or a 7-Up, and either a bag of Cheetos or Doritos, or a 3 Musketeers, please."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Mom and Calleigh walked back in, later, and found the two laughing over a TV program.

"Oh, my god. That is so bad." Horatio laughed.

"It is horrible, but you liked Justice League, though, didn't you, H?"

"Yes, I did." He admitted, reluctantly. "I also liked the Looney Tunes. They have always been my favorite cartoons. I liked them when I was your age. My brother and I used to watch them together, and we used to just laugh over them until our sides hurt."

"What is your favorite part?"

Horatio chuckled. "Mine was 'Road Runner and Coyote." He admitted.

Stevie laughed. "I like 'Road Runner and Coyote', too, but I also like the 'Bugs and Daffy' skits."

Horatio looked at his watch. "Well, Partner, I hate to cut this short, but I need to get back to the lab. It could've been blown up while we've been gone." He winked over at Stevie.

The boy chuckled. "No problem, H. Thanks for all your help today."

"My pleasure. I'm glad we were here to help." He looked down at his hands for a moment, that shyness coming out again when he least expected it. He tilted his head to look back at Stevie. "Is there anything I can bring for you when I come back?"

Stevie thought on that for a minute. "Not anything you could bring me, H, but you can come back to give Mom a ride back to the apartment, if you don't mind." Turning to his mother, he added. "Mom, I've got some drawing stuff, as well as some comics and a couple of magazines in my room at the apartment. Please bring it for me tomorrow, and hopefully I'll have the energy to draw for a bit."

"I'm going to stop by Doctor Fitzgerald's office for a little while, then we're heading back to the lab." Horatio told them, handing Jessica two of his business cards. "That has my cell phone number on it, which is available 24/7. Stevie, that means if something happens or if you just need to talk, I'm there. Understand?"

Stevie quirked an embarrassed grin. "I understand, H. Thanks again for letting me vent this afternoon."

"You're more than welcome." Horatio put his hand on the boy's chest, over his heart, and wasn't surprised when Stevie reciprocated, moving his hand underneath the man's jacket, over his shirt, to rest on his own heart.

"That's what partners are for." He told the boy in a whisper, leaning in to him.

They looked eye to eye for a few seconds then the man stood. He looked over at Jessica. "If either of you need me, I'm just a phone call away."

"Thank you again, Lt, for all your help. We'll see you later."Calleigh chuckled as he ducked his head in embarrassment. As they made their way to the Doctor's office, she asked. "What was that all about?"

Suspecting what she was referring to, Horatio explained. "Stevie needed someone to talk to, and I just happened to be there and coaxed it out of him." They turned a corner and found themselves standing in front of the Doctor's office. "Stevie was bottling a lot of things up, and I've managed to gain enough of his trust that he's willing to talk to me. I've got a couple of questions for you when we get out of here. You ready?"

Calleigh nodded. "Yup."

Horatio quirked that boyish grin again, and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Came from inside the office. They walked in to find Doctor Fitzgerald had changed into hospital scrubs. "Lt, Det, how's Stevie?"

"Well, his temperature is down, Doctor, but his body is still hot to the touch."

The doctor shook his head with a sigh. "That means that the infection is still, in all likelihood, running completely out of control."

Horatio looked at Calleigh and she could tell how badly he's bothered by this. "Which means you're still going to proceed with the saline bath, aren't you?"

Fitzgerald could also hear the emotions behind his voice and thought back to what the blonde Detective told him. She wasn't kidding about his dedication to this case. "I'm sorry, Lt, but, yes, I'm still going to proceed with it. Unfortunately, it's the only way to keep the incisions healthy, once I clean them of any currently existing bacteria."

"Were you going to give him a local or just a general anesthetic?"

The doctor thought on how best to answer the Lt's question. "That depends to a degree on him, Lt. If he freaks out too badly, or if his pain shoots up too high, I won't have any choice but to give him a general, but if he stays calm, and cooperative, and his pain stays relatively low, I can keep it to a local."

"I see." Horatio thought about the information the Doctor had just given him, and his own experience with the procedure. Ray's scared little face and the blinding white hot pain flashed in front of him for just a moment. He flinched back to the here and now and realized that both Calleigh and the doctor were looking at him, concerned. He gave Calleigh what he hoped was a reassuring smile, then turned to the doctor. "I would prefer to be here when you do it, doctor, however, I'm expecting some of the evidence in the case to come in just any minute now. I'll do my level best to be in contact with you during the day tomorrow, but I may need to be available to serve search warrants, etc."

"I understand, Lt."

"Very good. In the interim, Doctor, how did you hire Stevie's physical therapist?"

The doctor arched his eyebrows at the sudden shift in topic. "What do you mean how? I didn't Lt. He's part of the therapy team on staff here at the hospital. Stevie has several therapists, and Dennis is his physical therapist."

"I see." Horatio stood and walked over to be near the window. "What do you know about this 'Dennis'?"

"Like what?" Doctor Fitzgerald looked over at Calleigh for some help and received a business look. She's on the same page as the Lt.

"Like where he went to school, where he got his degree, if he even has one, how long he's been practicing, information of this nature, Doctor."

Fitzgerald looked back over directly to the Lt. "I don't have any of that information, but if the Therapy staff does not have it, then HR will."

"Thank you, Doctor." Horatio looked over at Calleigh, and noticed she's following things very carefully. "Doctor, do me a favor, please? Call him and explain that Stevie will not be having his therapy sessions for quite awhile, and that it will not be necessary for him to follow up, that you will contact him when you believe that Stevie is able to resume his physical therapy."

Both blondes looked up at him in surprise. "Lt, you can't be serious. Who will do the boy's therapy?"

"You said earlier that you weren't going to allow him back in a gym until he was able to move pain free. You also said that after the saline bath you intended on giving him, that it would be several days before that took place, which will be long enough for me to find a therapist that Stevie will be able to trust." Horatio explained.

"Exactly what makes you think that he doesn't trust Dennis?"

"Stevie has informed me that Dennis tends to be abusive when he and the boy are alone. He has also informed me that when he told you of this anomaly, you accused him of making things up. You are aware, aren't you, Doctor, that, if I chose to, I could put this hospital under the proverbial microscope. There's no telling what that microscope would find. It could potentially take days to complete. You are aware of that, aren't you Doctor?"

Fitzgerald dropped his eyes. "Yes, I am very well aware of that, Lt. There's no need to make threats."

Horatio's hands brushed across his abdomen, pushing aside his jacket, to reveal his badge and ID, to settle at the natural place on his hips, as he tilted his head to look over at the doctor, his voice dropping like a rock, settling naturally into the 'Danger Zone'. "That's not a threat, Doctor. That's a guarantee. Call him, now."

The doctor first looked at Calleigh, then when he got no help, he looked back over at the Lt. With a sigh, he looked through his phone book, then dialed the phone number on his office phone and pressed the speaker phone button.

Several rings later a male voice answered. "Hello?"

"Hello, Dennis?" Fitzgerald asked.

"Yes. Dr Fitzgerald?" The younger man replied.

"Yes. Dennis, I've called to let you know, something unfortunate has happened to Stevie Douglas. He's not going to be available for his physical therapy for several days, probably a week." Fitzgerald continued to lock eyes with Horatio.

"Ok." The younger man replied hesitantly. "What happened?"

The doctor looked up at Horatio.

Horatio shook his head at the doctor.

"I'm sorry, Dennis, I'm not at liberty to reveal that information. Let's just suffice it to say that he's indisposed for probably the better part of a week, maybe even two."

"That's not good." The younger man commented, although his concern was quite fake. "Did you want to contact me when he is available again, or did you want me to check in with you every couple of days or so?"

"I'll call you when he's able to go back into a gym, Dennis. Unfortunately, I don't know how long this will take. He's injured fairly seriously, and with his paralysis, it's just making things complicated."

"Very good." Dennis replied. "Please give Stevie my best, Doctor, and contact me as soon as possible."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye." When the call was ended from his end, Dennis looked over the desk to the man behind it. "You heard?" He asked quite unnecessarily.

"I did." The man replied. "The Plan is proceeding along very nicely. Young Stevie Douglas is going to learn the lesson his father failed to, but only at my timetable, and according to my plan." The man smiled widely.

After the dial tone was heard from their end, and the doctor hung up the phone, Horatio and Calleigh made their way down to the Hummer. Driving back towards the lab, they were stopped at a red light. Horatio looked over to see that she's deep in thought.

"A penny for your thoughts, Beautiful." He offered.

She blinked back, and looked over at him. "I'm sorry, Handsome. I was just thinking about Stevie, and how quickly everything has gotten, just so…….complicated."

"I understand, and I'm sorry that it has done that. Hopefully we can uncomplicated things, at least a little bit, anyway."

She turned to him with a genuine smile gracing her features. "You're doing that, Handsome, and more. Jessica and I really appreciate what you're doing with Stevie. I didn't realize that he didn't have anybody that he thought he could trust enough to talk things out with. I'm very glad he has you to talk to."

His head ducked for a moment, and that boyish grin that she had learned meant that he's embarrassed just a bit, came out right on queue. "You're more than welcome. I'm glad that I've been there. He's going through a lot, hopefully his luck will change, and not be quite so complicated."

The light changed to green and he pressed on the gas. "Stevie keeps calling you 'Aunt' Calleigh. How are you and Jessica related?"

She chuckled. "I wondered how long that would take." She paused for a minute, gathering her thoughts. "Jessica and I were best friends growing up. We were inseparable. When we were Freshmen in High School, one of her cousins, who was also a part of our little group, even though she was older, got married. The groom brought one of his younger half-brothers to the wedding, who was about our age. We all started hanging around together, and Jess fell for him, hard. They started writing back and forth, and when we graduated High School, she and Steve decided to move in together. He had been accepted to the Chemistry program at the University of Miami, and he encouraged her to apply there. She did, and was accepted into the Interior Design program. After 4 years of study, they both graduated, with Honors from their respective programs.

"They very quickly fell head over heals in love, and the next thing I knew, I was being invited to their wedding. They kept it very low key, and only invited select family and friends, knowing that their relationship would not be looked on favorably by all of the family from both sides of the family."

"You were invited though, weren't you?" Horatio asked as he navigated the streets towards the lab.

She chuckled and nodded. "I was. I had kept in contact with Jess and Steve and I became very good friends as well. She got pregnant very quickly, and when the little guy was born, it was a given, by both of them, that I would be Aunt Calleigh, and they asked me to be his godmother, which I agreed to with pride. He's a great little guy and he'll be an even better man when he grows up. Some of that is you, you do realize that, don't you, Horatio?"

He cracked that boyish grin, as he fought not to blush at the unexpected praise. "It's more you than me, Calleigh. You're around him all the time. I'm just a friend that he's made recently, when he's in trouble. He feels that, for whatever reason, that he doesn't have anyone he can trust, and he thinks I'm someone he can talk to. It'll pass and he'll be your little guy again."

Calleigh turned to him, puzzled. "I'm not jealous, Horatio. He needs to have you to talk to. He thinks he can't talk to me about it, I'm not a man, and he doesn't want to worry his Mom. He needs you. I'm glad he's got you. You're a great someone to talk to."

He couldn't fight the blush anymore and it appeared, tinting his cheeks. "I just hope I'm worthy of it. I'm going to try to do my best." They'd arrived at the lab, and he pulled into his parking space and turned off the engine. He got out of the Hummer and walked over to her door to help her out of the big vehicle.

Once her feet hit the ground, she turned to him. "You're already doing your best, Handsome, just by being there. Try to get him to talk out what he's feeling. That's half the battle."

_Too much like me, in more ways than one._ He thought to himself. "Doctor Fitzgerald said that he wasn't going to let Stevie back in the gym until some of the injuries from last night had healed, and Stevie's already getting antsy, is there anything that can be done to make the wait a little easier?"

Calleigh smiled up at him as she wrapped her arms around the man's torso, from under his jacket, spreading her hands over his back, running them up and down, trying to will him some of her confidence. "You're already doing that, Handsome. Just be his friend. Go visit him, at least once a day. Sit and talk with him, but don't baby him. Let him air his frustrations, and more importantly, his insecurities." She put her head against his chest, as she hugged him. "You know, he's really taken with you."

That grin came out again. He looked down for a moment, then looked back at her, tilting his head at her. "The feeling's mutual. You're right. He's a great kid."

Calleigh smiled up at him, and he returned it, shyly, then pointed to the building with his chin. "Let's go see if anything new has happened."

She stood back, as she released him. "Ryan and Eric are probably pacing the floor, waiting for us to come back.

"They chuckled as they made their way to the doors. He held one open as she walked through, then followed her in. The instant they stepped off the elevator, Eric pounced on them, as Ryan and Frank Tripp came up to them.

"H!!" Eric hurried up to them, his expression revealed his worry. He grasped the red head's upper arm, as he asked. "Have you had any more dizzy episodes, H? How are you feeling?"

Horatio looked at Calleigh, and agreed with her confusion. "Eric, slow down. No, I haven't had any more dizzy spells. I feel fine. What's going on? What was in the water?"

"This, H." The younger man replied, as he passed over a sheet of printer paper from the Mass Spectrometer. "She tried to poison him, H. You're both luckily to be alive."

Horatio took the piece of paper and scanned it. _Chloroform. No wonder the world tilted._ Noticing Tripp, he asked. "What did you find out about her, Francis?"

Tripp looked down at his notebook. "Nancy Donahue, age 23. A Drama student at Miami U. GPA is 3.75. She's there on a Dramatic Scholarship, so she's not paying for anything, as far as school is concerned, but we did find a checking account at the Miami-Dade Savings and Loan that has a significant balance in it. We haven't been able to find any job or anything that would explain the account, but we're still looking."

Horatio nodded, then tilted his head, looking over at the Texan. "Good work, Frank. Keep on it. The record's there somewhere."

"You know it, H. We'll find it." Tripp replied.

"One other thing, too H." Eric added, as he looked to Ryan.

"We found more than one set of prints on the desk from the video where we saw the robber remove his gloves." When Horatio nodded, then tilted his head at the younger man, Ryan continued. "All of the prints are of employees for the Events Center. There's not one set that is out of place."

Horatio thought on that for a moment. "How many sets of prints did you come up with, Gentlemen?"

"Five." Ryan informed him.

"Ok. How many of those were actually scheduled to work last night?" He asked them, as he pulled the envelope from his inside pocket.

Eric and Ryan looked at each other, before Eric told him. "According to the information supplied by the office manager, three of the five were scheduled to work yesterday."

"Ok. Here's what you do, gentlemen. Work with Det Tripp here to see what you can find out about these two and then bring them both in. See who comes up with an alibi the fastest." Horatio opened the envelope and separated out the information about the GPS tracker for the van. "One other thing, as well, Mr. Wolfe. Do me a favor, please, and run this information in to either Mr Cooper or Tyler. Please tell them I need location information on this GPS tracker as soon as possible."

The brunette younger man took the paperwork from him. "No problem, H. We'll let you know as soon as we find it."

"Thank you." Horatio watched the younger man hurry away to the A/V labs. When he lost sight of him, Horatio turned to Calleigh. "Do you have just a moment, Calleigh. I have one other thing I've thought of that I wanted to ask you."

Calleigh followed him silently up the stairs to his office. When he closed the door behind himself, she turned to him, as he asked.

"You said before that Jessica is getting antsy about the Construction company taking their sweet time renovating the house." When the blonde nodded, he continued. "Why would the house need to be renovated at all?" As he sat down behind his desk.

She sat in the chair in front of his desk. "Well, most normal doorways are just narrow enough that a standard wheelchair will just barely fit through. Also, standard household appliances are not short enough for a standard wheelchair, and a standard bathroom is not safe enough for someone who is in a wheelchair. The doorways in their house would all need to be widened, the kitchen would need to be changed so that the appliances were 'Stevie accessible', and the bathroom would definitely have to be renovated. A wheelchair accessible shower would need to be installed, as well as an elevator, to allow him access to all levels of the house. We were also going to try to have a pool installed either in the lowest level of the house, to be an indoor pool, or outside the house, considering Miami's weather." Calleigh explained.

"Ok." He replied, thoughtfully. "How is it that the Construction company is taking 'their sweet time'?"

"The Construction company has had it for 2 months. The instant Doctor Fitzgerald told Jess that Stevie would never walk again, and they determined his level of functionality, she had hired the Contractor and the Construction company to do the work. They had indicated, at the time, that they could have the work done in one month, two tops. Here it's been almost three and every time I've tried to go over there, while it appears that work is being done, there's no progress."

That got the red head to thinking. "When you say that it 'appears that work is being done'…?"

"From my place on the street, I can hear hammers being used, and saws being used. Men are moving around, and working, but when I go back over to check it again, days later, it doesn't look like they've completed anything. No progress is being made." Calleigh looked out the window for a moment and sighed. "I'm probably just being paranoid, Handsome."

When he stood, she does so as well. "No, you're not, Calleigh. You're looking out for your family." He opened the office door for her. "We'll get back to this later, come on."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

They made their way down to the interrogation rooms to find Frank in with the 'Nurse' from the hospital. Horatio turned to Calleigh.

"Do me a favor, and watch things from out here, please?"

She quickly realized why he's asking. She grinned and nodded at him. "Ok, Handsome."

Horatio walked into the interrogation room, and traded a look with Frank. "Miss Donahue, what were you doing at the hospital this morning?"

"My job." She replied, with attitude. "I'm a nurse there, unless you can't tell from my uniform."

"Actually, no you're not." Horatio corrected her, as he looked out the window. He left his left shoulder facing the window, as he turned to her, tilting his head to look at her.

Even the young woman could see the steel that had grown behind his eyes. "What are you talking about?" She asked hesitantly.

"I checked with HR, there at the hospital, Miss Donahue, and you have not been hired by the hospital, to do any kind of nursing." Horatio explained, using the time to pull out his glasses. "I will only say this one more time, Miss Donahue. What were you doing at the hospital this morning?" His voice dropped into the 'Danger Zone', as his patience wore very thin.

She sighed. "Ok. I was there, doing research."

"What kind of research?" Frank asked.

She looked up at him. "I'm an actress. I was doing research to play the part of a nurse. I wanted to see what it was like."

"Where did poisoning the boy come into play?"

"Poison? What boy?" She asked, trying to play confused.Horatio tried to keep a reign on his control, knowing that it's slipping, but he couldn't help the edge that crept into his voice. He moved to the table and laid three sheets of paper down on the table directly in front of her. One was the sheet from the Mass Spectrometer, showing how much Chloroform was used, the second showed the basin, empty, with a fingerprint on it, and the third sheet of paper was from AFIS, showing her information.

When she looked up at him, he's satisfied to see her visibly flinch from his gaze, and knew that the steel plating had grown behind his eyes. "Do not insult my intelligence, Miss Donahue. I tested the water that was in that basin, sitting beside Stevie Douglas' bedside. It had enough Chloroform in it to have killed either me, or my larger friend here, much less that little boy. Who paid you to kill him, and why?"

She quickly saw that he had her, so she folded. "Ok. Alright, already. I don't know who paid me, and I didn't realize how much of the stuff I had used. When I went to my dressing room there at the theatre, one day, there was an envelope under the door. I opened it, and there was a picture of the kid, 1000, the bottle of stuff and a note, that said for me to use the stuff on him and make sure he was dead and that the money was mine, as well as 9 times that amount when the job was done."

"Uh, huh." Was the only thing Frank would say. Horatio on the other hand, looked down at his hands for a minute, then looked back up at her, tilting his head in her direction.

"Let's add 'police prisoner' to her list of roles, Frank." He motioned for the female police officer to come in. Looking back down at her, he told her. "Don't drop out of school, Miss Donahue. For Hollywood's sake." He put his glasses away.

The officer came in and pulled her out of her chair. "Why do you say that, Lt?"

He brushed his jacket aside with both hands, to reveal badge, gun, and ID, as well as to settle both hands at their customary places on his hips, as he tilted his head to look at her. "You're not that good, Miss Donahue. Take her away." He added to the officer, then turned, directly to the window, as she huffed out the door.

Frank stood there, watching her go. "What do you think, H?"

"Well, if she was in fact paid to kill Stevie, the source, the reasoning, everything, is out there, somewhere. We just have to find it." Horatio still looked out the window.

"And if she wasn't?" Frank nibbled on his bottom lip.

Horatio dropped his hands, letting his jacket settle around him. "Three things, Frank. I owe her an apology for her acting ability, and she deserves an Oscar award for her performance. Also, Stevie has a very large unlucky star hovering over him. I would prefer not to have to get down on my hands and knees groveling."

Frank chuckled. "I understand, H. I'm on it." As the red head walked away.

Horatio made his way, later, to the ballistics lab, to find Calleigh hunched over, looking into her comparison microscope.

Without even looking up, she asked. "Can I help you with something, Handsome?"

He chuckled as he walked in, closing the door, and came up to her. "Can you give me the address to Jessica's and Stevie's house?"

Calleigh looked puzzled. "Sure. Why?"

His look turned serious. "Please, Calleigh, just trust me. I have a good reason for wanting it."

She smiled. "Of course I trust you. I was just curious. I also have something else for you, too." She pulled a piece of paper out of her notebook and wrote the address down, then handed it to him. "There you go." Then she picked up a box and opened it, showing his service piece. "I believe that this is also yours. It's been cleared. You can have it back now."

He looked first at the weapon, then at her, with a grin. "Thank you." He took it from her, and slipped it into the empty holster at his side.

When he turned to walk out of the lab, her voice stopped him just at the door. "Do I need to remind you that you promised Stevie you would pick up Jessica to take her home?"

"Nope." He cracked that boyish grin. "In fact, I wanted to ask you, want kind of food would she normally not say no to?"

"You mean her favorite food?" She asked.

He nodded.

She looked up at the ceiling for a moment, then looked back over at him. "I guess I would have to say either Italian, or American would have to be her favorites."

He nodded again. "Ok, thanks, and I'll be there." He moved to grab the knob.

"Do I have a reason to be jealous?" She teased.

He stopped and looked over at her with a strange expression. "No chance." He opened the door. "By the way, I'm headed home, but if you guys need me, I'm reachable on my cell."

"We've got it covered." She told him as the door closed behind him. As she leaned back down to the microscope, his words actually penetrated. Wait a minute. He's going home, already? What does he think he's going to do and do I really want to know?

Horatio made his way home to get a quick shower and to change from his suit, into more 'civilian' street clothes. He stood there, in his bedroom, holding his polo shirt in his hands, as he looked over his torso in the mirror with a critical eye. Strong, broad shoulders, and a muscular chest down to a toned, trim waist. Muscular size and definition to be proud of. The time in the gym obviously not wasted. A body that he was fully aware would get him attention almost anywhere, except…. The evidence of his father's abuse was easily read not only over his shoulders, but also around his sides.

The memories of the saline baths came far too easily, as well as the day that the doctor told him the scarring was permanent, and 'advised' him to not plan to attend any beach parties or any pool parties, as well as the memory of being the 'odd' man out when everyone would get together, not only because of his father, but once his parents were dead, his responsibilities to Ray taking over.

He also knew that Doctor Fitzgerald and Stevie's Mom also saw some of the scarring and wondered when, or if, either one of them would say anything directly to him.

Suddenly the memory of that last argument with his father flashed in his mind's eye and he flinched back to the here and now. "I'm sorry I was such a disappointment to you, Dad. I tried to be the kind of son you would be proud of. Why wasn't it good enough? Why was it that everything I tried always backfired?" His voice wavered as he voiced his confusion, not for the first time. He shook his head for just a moment, then put the shirt on, tucking the tails into his pants. He pulled his 'letterman's' style leather jacket out of the closet, and headed back down the stairs. He stopped long enough to detour into his office and grabbed the camera bag off of the shelf. He opened it to make sure that his long lens was inside, then closed it again and headed into the kitchen.

He changed batteries in his cell phone, and checked it for messages. It's clear, no messages. He grabbed his travel mug, and the camera bag. Checking himself for badge, gun, and ID, he's set to go.

Out the door and around to the garage, he bypassed the Hummer, in favor of a more 'undercover' type of car. Most of the time, the Hummer served multiple purposes, and he'd even use it when he clearly should be driving his own, personal car, but preferred to drive the 'monster'. This trip very clearly called for a more discreet form of surveillance.

He drove over to the address that Calleigh had given him, and sat there, observing things. Men were moving around, and hammers, and saws could be heard in the background, but his sense of things agreed with hers, something was not quite right with this picture. He pulled his digital Single Lens camera out of the bag, checking the lens. A truck came around his position and he tracked the vehicle's progress. It stopped near the construction site, and the driver got out, going up to a man wearing a gold hard hat.

Horatio brought the camera up to his eye, turning it on and quickly got several shots of the men talking. He also got shots of the entire area showing some men working and others moving things.

Horatio continued to observe the construction site, taking pictures and noting things in his mind, when his sense of time urged him to look at his watch. Sure enough it's time to go get Stevie's Mom from the hospital. He put the camera away, then turned and made his way to the hospital.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

The parking lot was less full now than during the day, so he had little difficulty finding a parking space. He stepped off the elevator and made his way down the hall, just in time to hear Stevie say."I thought you got all the glass before, Dr Fitz."

Horatio stepped into the room to find Doctor Fitzgerald on one side of the bed, and Jessica on the other, looking down at the boy in it. They both looked up and noticed the red head before looking back down at the boy.

"I'm sorry, Stevie. I thought I got it all before as well. Your infection just does not want to die. I've given you the strongest antibiotic that I dare to give you, and although it is getting better, it's not getting better as fast as it should. I need to do another MRI, just to make sure that I did in fact get all the glass the first time."

The youngster thought about it for a minute. "Ok. What if you see that you didn't get it all the first time?"

The blonde doctor traded a quick look with both Jessica and Horatio. "Well, if by chance I didn't get everything, like I thought. I will get it all when we do the saline bath.

The word 'bath' went over Stevie's head temporarily. "Ok. What time tomorrow are you going to do the MRI?"

"I'm not sure." Fitzgerald admitted. "Sometime tomorrow, though."

"Ok." Stevie replied. "See you tomorrow, Doctor Fitz."

The adults passed looks, temporarily lulled into a sense that the boy would be cooperative, as they exchanged 'Goodnight's.

Horatio looked at Jessica. "You ready to go Mrs Douglas?" As he walked to the other side of the bed.

"I will be, in just a moment, Lt." She stepped away from the bed.

He turned to the boy. "Hey there, partner."

Stevie cracked a grin. "Hey, yourself." He looked the red head over. "Where did you go?"

Horatio looked himself over. "What makes you think I went anywhere?"

"Just that you're dressed differently than you were earlier, that's all."

Horatio quirked his boyish grin. "Well, I had to go check something out and I didn't want them to see me as a police officer right away, so, yes, I changed clothes."

"You went someplace undercover?" The youngster looked worried. "You didn't go without backup, did you?"

Horatio's eyebrows climbed into his hair. "Stevie, I didn't go anywhere undercover. I was just checking something out. I didn't talk to anyone or investigate anything, I just sat and watched, and took some pictures, that's all. Everything's fine. Don't worry."

"Uh, huh." Was all the boy could say, before his mother came out of the bathroom.

"Ok. I'm ready. Let's get out of here." She told them.

Horatio looked back down at Stevie. "I may not necessarily be here for your MRI tomorrow, Stevie, but I will be here sometime during the day, ok?"

"Sure, H. I understand." The youngster tried to reassure him. "I know you're busy with the case and everything, and we're not your only case, I know that. Just please be careful, ok?"

Horatio looked down, shyly, as that boyish grin made another quick appearance. "I promise, partner, I promise. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Ok." The boy agreed.

Jessica leaned over and gave her son a quick kiss on the cheek. "Please be good, Stevie, and don't give the nurses too hard a time. Ok?"

He chuckled. "Yes, Mom. I'll see you tomorrow."

Both adults waved as they walked out the door and down the hall.As Horatio took her to the car and opened the passenger door, he tilted his head towards her. "Did you need to go back to the apartment right away?"

The woman looked confused for a moment. "Not that I'm aware of, Lt." She grinned for a moment. "After all, it's not like I don't know where my son is, or what he's doing. I don't think I have to go home to check on him, do you?"

He agreed with her smile. "No." He helped her into the car. Just before he closed the door, he asked. "I was hoping you would have time for some dinner?" He got into the driver's seat and looked over at her.

"Yes, I would."

"I know a place we can get some dinner and have a quite place to talk, if you need to." He started the car, looking over at her.

"That sounds like a good idea." Jessica looked over at him. "Lead on McDuff."

Horatio pulled his eyes from the road just long enough to crack a grin at her. "Yes, ma'am." He quickly turned back to the road.

Once at the restaurant, and taken to their table, Jessica asked. "I'm not taking you away from your own wife and family, am I, Lt?"

He pushed her chair in for her, wondering how best to answer her question. "No, Mrs Douglas, you're not. I don't have any obligations, other than my job, my friends there, and you and Stevie. Trust me when I say, that I'm not anywhere I don't want to be, ok?"

Her eyebrows arched. "You're not married?"

He grinned at her persistence. "Only to my job." He attempted to get her off this train of thought. "How are you and Stevie really doing?"

She smiled. "I wanted to thank you for showing an interest in him, Lt. He values your time together almost like gold, it's that special to him. I know that it's making this stay in the hospital something he can deal with."

He looked down at his hands on the table, shyly, not quite expecting that response. "Your son is a phenomenal young man. You should be proud of him."

"I am, very proud of him." She replied certainly. "What about you? Isn't your mother proud of you?" She asked innocently. "What mother would not be? A law enforcement officer? A police Lt, no less, with the Crime Scene Investigations team. The team responsible for helping to bring families closure to one of the most difficult times of their lives. I can only imagine some of the challenges you and your team are faced with."

_That's a good question. Are you, Mom? Are you proud of me?_ He thought to himself quickly. "I hope that she would be, if she were still alive." He told her, honestly.

"She's not?"

He waited to answer her until their waitress put their dinner down in front of them, and left. "No, Mrs Douglas, my mother is no longer living. I lost her when I was 17." His voice quivered in the wind, as he prayed. _Please don't ask me any more_.

"That was way too young to loose your mother." She observed, noticing the tremor in his voice. "Is that how you chose to be a police officer?"

He chuckles as he nods. "Yes, ma'am it was, at least partially."

They ate in silence for a moment, then to make sure that the conversation stayed off of him, he asked. "How long have you known Calleigh?"

"A long time." She admitted around a mouthful of Fettuccini Alfredo. "We grew up together. We're best friends, in fact, you might as well call us, sisters."

"I see." He replied hesitantly. "As her sister, she probably tells you a lot, doesn't she?"

She smiled, thinking she knew where this was going. "Practically everything, yes. Why?"

"No reason, really." He tried to hedge. "I'm just wondering, does she have a boyfriend? Anyone that she's interested in?" At her surprised look, he added hurriedly. "Although we are a well oiled machine at work, none of us really let's any of our personal lives slip into work."

She continued to eat her dinner, wondering how much to reveal to him. "Well, no, she doesn't have a boyfriend, at least at the moment, but there is a guy that she's interested in."

"Ok. Do you know anything about this guy? Does she know him from work? If not, where from? How long has she known him? Anything like that."

Jessica laughed. "If I didn't know any better, Lt, I would say I was being interrogated."

He chuckled as well, looking down at his hands, embarrassed at being so easily read. "Sorry about that, Mrs Douglas. Calleigh is a highly valued member of the team, and a treasured friend. I wouldn't want anything to happen to her. Since I wasn't even aware of your part in her family. Meaning, she had never talked about you, I thought you would know more about her private life than I do."

"I probably do." She admitted. "First off, my first name is Jessica, as I'm sure you're aware, and second, you are the man she is interested in. Now that I've met you, I can understand her interest. I'll never forget when you first interviewed her for the ballistics expert you needed. I barely got her to talk about the interview itself, she was so fascinated by you. Being near me, Steve and her godson was just added cake as far as she was concerned. Don't let her get away, Lt." She implores him.

His head ducked again, to dodge the embarrassment, as that boyish grin quirked again. "There's just one small boulder in that road, Jessica. Mine, as I told your son, is Horatio. The boulder is this. I come with some very complicated baggage. If I tell her about just a minor fraction of that baggage, it could change our relationship, even at work, and work is far too important for both of us, to endanger like that."

Her plate was empty and she picked up her glass to drink the remainder of her beverage. "If you are referring to the scarring that I though I saw, try to give her the benefit of the doubt, Horatio. Although I was not privy to all of what went on in her childhood, I'm aware of, if not suspicious of enough to be able to tell you that hers was not the easiest either, although hers was a walk in the park, compared to what I think yours was. Give her a chance, that's all I'm suggesting."

"You didn't tell Stevie about it, did you?" He asked tentatively

She looked mortified. "Heavens no. How would I even begin to explain something like that to him. You're going to have to show him and explain it to him one of these days, but I'm going to leave when and how to you, as well as how much to tell him. He's going to figure something out, though, he usually does, long before you're going to be ready. Stevie has always known that his father and I have trusted his judgment to know right from wrong, and I think it has been the prospect of disappointing us somehow that has always been his arrow for doing something. Would Mom and Dad be disappointed in me if I did…… whatever it is. We've been very lucky. He's never wanted to do drugs or alcohol, or smoke. With all of his friends around him who have wanted him to try it, I've dreaded the day when it gets more complicated than that. Luckily, we've never had to discipline him with anything stronger than being grounded or having privileges taken away. Normally the threat of either of us being disappointed has been enough of a deterrent to keep him on the straight and narrow."

He also finished off the remainder of his drink. "You're right. You have been very fortunate. He is most definitely a son to be proud of." He left a tip on the table and grabbed his coat.

She stepped up to him, as he put his coat back on. Once it's settled, she ran her hand across and down his back. "If your mother were still alive, I'm certain you would find that he's not the only one."

He offered her a hopeful smile, as he remarked. "I'm glad you think so." He told her shyly.He made his way to the apartments near to the Rehab Center and dropped her off at the front door, then, once he's positive that she's inside, and safe, headed home.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The next morning, he went into the lab to find Eric, Ryan and Tripp waiting for him. "Gentlemen, what's going on?"

"Two things, H." Eric began.

"One, the GPS of that vehicle you asked us to run, came up with a location." Ryan explained as he handed a printout to the older man.

Horatio scanned it. "Very good, gentlemen. Give Mr Cooper my regards." He looked up to find Tripp. "Frank, do me a favor and run the information to a judge for a search warrant."

"Will do, H. I'm on it." The Texan turned to go back to his cubicle.

"Number two, H is that of the two sets of prints we came up with on the desk, we interviewed one of the parties, who has an air tight alibi for the time frame of the robbery."

"What about the other one?"

"Kevin Miller. He's waiting for you in interrogation room 2, as we speak." Ryan passed him a different printout.

"Good work, gentlemen." The red head bypassed his office to go straight to I.R. 2. "Good morning, Mister Miller. I'm sorry to have brought you in here quite this early this morning."

"What am I doing here, anyway?" The younger man asked indignantly.

"I take it you've heard about the robbery at the Events Center the other night."

"Of course." The younger man replied. "You know, I'm counting myself pretty lucky. I was off that night."

"Yes, I know." Horatio admitted. "Were you in the office any time that day?"

"Why would I have been?" He asked incredulously. "I'll say it again. It was my day off." He acted as if speaking to a person with a low IQ.

"I understand the concept, Mister Miller. My problem is that I've found your fingerprints in the office."

"Of course. I work there."They're going around in circles. Horatio tried another tact. "Where were you at the time of the robbery?"

"I was on the freeway between here and Fort Lauderdale."

"Did you have anyone in the car with you?"

"Nope, just me and the stereo."

Horatio cracked an amused grin at the reference. Trying another avenue to trip the younger man up, he asked. "Why did you take the boy's van? When did you notice the wheelchair?"

The younger man looked completely confused. "What boy? What van? What wheelchair?"

Horatio stared at the younger man for a moment, trying to size him up. He knew that the younger man was part of the group that committed the robbery, but also knew that without any evidence to prove it, he had to let the younger man go. "Before I let you go, would you mind giving us a DNA sample, and your fingerprints, just so we can rule you out?"

The man shook his head. "Knock yourself out."

Horatio motioned Ryan Wolfe into the room. "Thank you." As Ryan walked in, Eric motioned that he needed to talk to him. "Mr. Wolfe, once you've collected both DNA and fingerprints, have a uniform escort him out of the building, he's free to go."

Ryan looked up surprised. "Sure, H. No problem."

"Thank you." Horatio stepped out of the room and walked up to Eric. "What's going on, Eric?"

"Frank just called. He's on his way back with the warrant for the chop shop. Auto Theft is wanting in on the bust, though. They keep saying that they've had this place under surveillance, supposedly for quite some time, and they feel that the bust is their's."

"They do, huh?" The Cuban young man nodded.

"I'll get the A.T. officer's name from Frank, and we'll sort out ownership later. I'm just concerned, right now, about finding Stevie's van, and getting it back to him ASAP."

"How's he doing, anyway?"

"Unfortunately, his injuries are getting to him. I'm a little concerned that they're taking his mental state, and his outlook down with them, but, I think it would help if we had something positive to give him."

"You're right. I think it would help too." Eric put his hand on Horatio's shoulder. "Try to think positive, H. We're going to find it."

"Absolutely." Frank walked up. "Any problems, Frank?"

Frank shook his head. "Nope."

"Good." Horatio tilted his head to look at Frank. "Eric tells me Auto Theft thinks this is their bust. What's going on?"

The burly Texan sighed. "They say that they've had the joint under watch, supposedly 'for days now', and they say that any bust should be theirs."

"Uh, huh." Horatio thought on that for a minute, drumming the fingers of both hands against the belt at his waist. "Who's the lead investigator?"

"Detective Gabriel Montoya."

"Let's go talk to him."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

They made their way over to the Auto Theft division and got into a meeting with the lead officer and the Captain of the division.

"You have to understand something, Lt. We've had our eye on this shop for quite some time. If there's any bust that needs to be made, we should be doing it." Montoya told him, with attitude.

"You keep saying that, Det Montoya. How long is 'quite some time'?"

When the man looked confused, Horatio clarified. "You keep saying that you've had them spotlighted quote 'for quite some time' end quote. How long has that been, exactly?"

The detective looked over to his Captain for some help, but the Captain looked back, expectantly, waiting for an answer. "I'm not sure. Maybe a week."

Horatio looked down to the floor, shaking his head. "'Maybe a week', you think?" He brushed his jacket aside, so that at least he had someplace to put his hands, so that maybe he won't strangle the officer. Realizing that his voice was trying to drop, and that his temper was starting to go up, Horatio forced himself to stand there, gathering his thoughts. "Let me ask you this, Detective." He can't help, but emphasize the man's rank. "Did anyone bring in a Chevrolet Express van within the last 2 or 3 days?"

Apparently starting to feel the chill in the air, the Detective looked through the day's photos and activity logs for the shop. "Yeah. A van matching that description was brought in 2 days ago. They accepted it, and paid the driver, and he left, in another car with a different driver, that had followed him there."

Horatio traded looks with Eric and Frank. At least it had been seen there independently. "Well, on the one hand, that's good."

"On the one hand?" Montoya asked.

"Yes, Detective, on the one hand." Horatio walked up to him. "On the other hand, I've had an APB out for that van for all of those 2 days. The van actually belongs to a 12 year old boy who is learning to live his life out of a wheelchair. The van was taken 2 nights ago in a robbery at the South Beach Miami Events Center, and the boy was injured in the get a way. I put out the APB for it instantly."

The shock on the Detective's face was genuine. "You did?"

"I did." Horatio confirmed. Hoping to keep the temperature in the office even, and to keep out of the 'Danger Zone', he took a moment to gather his thoughts, and looked down at the floor. When he looked back up, he realized that neither could be held back, as his contempt for this 'Detective' couldn't be stopped. "You had better hope, for the sake of your career, as well as the careers of those on your team, that I find that van in one piece. The 'bust' that you're so worried about, is mine. I wouldn't want to have to explain how you let a van with an APB on it, get past you."

Horatio had done a quick 'about face' and headed towards the door. Frank and Eric each glared at the Detective quickly, then followed him out the door.

The Detective looked at his Captain for help, but the Captain shook his head. "Don't look at me. You're the one who has just made an enemy that you definitely don't need. You'll be lucky if you're only in a uniform by the end of the day. Worst case, you'll be in the next class at the Academy."

Montoya scoffed. "Who does that guy think he is?"

The Captain's eyebrows went up into his hair. "If you don't know who that is, you need to go back to the Academy. He didn't get that shiny gold shield out of a box of Cracker Jack's. That was Lt Horatio Caine. Currently he's with CSI as the lead investigator, but he's worked, at least part time, every other major division in this department. Patrol, Homicide, Bomb Squad, Narcotics, and here. He's even worked Vice."

"Vice?" The Detective looked as incredulous as he sounded. "That's not possible. Not with those looks."

The Captain nodded. "If the stories are only half true, not even his Momma would have recognized him." He sat back down at his desk. "As I said, consider yourself lucky if you're only in a uniform by the end of the day."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

While Horatio's 'rep' was getting the review over in Auto Theft, he, Frank, and Eric were rounding up several cars worth of uniforms from Patrol and laid out the plan to take the chop shop down. They made their way over to the location and set up a command post. Once everyone was in position, Horatio's voice came over the radio. "All teams, when you are, please give the ready."

After a fashion, he got the 'standing by' signal from all of the teams. "Ok. On my mark, make your way over to the entrance point you've been given." He looked down at his watch. "Mark."

They slowly made their way to the door and looked through the air vent crack. "Eric, look. There's the van." He pointed to the interior of the space.

"I see it, H." The two men looked at each other. "Maybe we've caught it in time."

"We can but hope." Horatio hoped for the best. Bringing his radio to his mouth, he told the others. "All units. On my mark, let's make entry. Be careful, boys and girls." He looked down at his watch again. "Mark."

Suddenly, doors swung open, and voices from all directions were yelling. "Miami Dade police!! Freeze!!"

Most of the men who had been working on the cars, suddenly found themselves surrounded by police officers with guns trained on them. Wisely, some of them put their hands up, surrendering peacefully. Some of the men, however, went the hard route, and pulled guns, in turn, on the officers. Gun fire was exchanged and several of these men went down with gun shot injuries. All of a sudden, a taller Asian man turned and made a run for a back door.

Horatio followed him and tackled him about halfway across the warehouse floor. Punches were exchanged for several minutes, when the man put his hands level with his shoulders.

"Ok, ok. I give up." He told Horatio with a very thick accent, winded from the fight.

Horatio rolled him over, searching him, as he told the man. "You're under arrest for GTA (grand theft auto). You have the right to remain silent, anything you do say, can, and will, be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to speak with an attorney, and to have that attorney present during questioning." He pulled one of the man's arms behind his back with one hand, and with his other hand fished for his own handcuffs. As he fitted the cuffs onto the Asian man's wrists, Horatio continued the Miranda warning. "If you can not afford an attorney, one will be provided at no charge, before questioning. Do you understand these rights as I've explained them to you?"

The Asian man nodded. "Yes."

"What's your name?"

"Daniel Tanaka."

Noticing the man's clothes, Horatio asked. "Are you a worker or are you a management type, here, Mr Tanaka?"

"I own this facility, as well as all the equipment inside." He told Horatio proudly.

"Very good….." Horatio began.

"H!! Look!!" Eric called to him.

Frank walked over to stand with Horatio and the prisoner, as the red head looked over at him. "Hold on to him for me a minute, Frank?"

"Sure thing, Horatio."

Horatio walked over to where Eric was standing next to Stevie's van. "What's the matter, Eric?"

Eric made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat. "We've got a problem, H. Look." He slid the side door open to reveal……nothing, other than two front seats and a steering wheel. No lift, no ramp, no wheelchair securements, no stereo, no phone, no nothing. "It's gone, H. Everything. We can't give it back to Stevie, not like this."

At first Horatio stared at the inside of the van, as if not believing what his eyes were telling him, then, after a few minutes he let his head hang. Disappointment in himself and the situation, written in the complete droop in his shoulders. "I know, Eric." His voice dropped to a whisper. "We'll think of something." He forced his voice into something resembling a normal tone.

Horatio walked back over to where the Asian man and Frank are standing. "Mr Tanaka, what did you do with the equipment that you pulled out of the van?"

The man shrugged, noncommittally. "I don't remember."

Horatio allowed his voice to drop. "Would you like to try that again, Mr Tanaka?"

"No, sir. I would not."

"It didn't bother you that you were pulling equipment out of a van that was obviously intended for a person in a wheelchair?"

The man remained silent.

"Who did you buy the van from?"

"Why should I tell you anything?"

Horatio looked down at the floor for a moment, before tilting his head back up at the man. He stepped closer to the man as he pulled his service weapon and trained it on the man. "Well, Mr Tanaka, you see, you are looking at a serious amount of jail time here, for all of this. If you don't start cooperating, not only will you find yourself with an 'aiding, and abetting' charge, but I could loose my two friends here for a few minutes, and you and I could have the kind of a chat that even you would understand. Are you starting to get the picture?" He pulled the hammer on his service weapon back, and put the front of the barrel of the weapon against the man's chest.

The man's eyes grew wide. "You wouldn't."

Horatio smiled, but there was no humor in it at all. "Not even my friends will play that game of poker with me, Mr Tanaka. I assure you, I'm deadly serious. That van belonged to a young friend of mine. This young friend has developed a string of bad luck bad enough that the more I hear and see of it, the less I'm inclined to believe it's just bad luck. No one, not even a 12 year old boy has luck this bad, so you will quickly find that I have absolutely no patience, whatsoever, for this kind of game. Now. Which is it, sir?"

Luckily the man was saved from his answer by the ring of Horatio's cell phone. He walked away several steps and put hammer of his weapon safely back down, and put the weapon away. Horatio then pulled his phone out, looking at the Caller ID. It read _Doctor Fitzgerald_. "Horatio Caine."

"Yes, Lt. This is Doctor Fitzgerald." He added unnecessarily. "We've been thrown an unexpected curve ball."

"What kind of curve ball, Doctor?" The red head asked, as Eric walked up beside him.

"Well, I did the MRI earlier, and unfortunately, I did indeed miss some glass. I explained to Stevie that I was going to remove it during the course of the first saline bath I was going to give him. I got to the part about explaining that he would be suspended in the solution within a plastic tank, and would have a 'scuba' system, on and that I would be using a special filter to scrub the incisions clean of the dirt, germs, bacteria, etc. All he heard was the word 'bath' and he's stopped everything in it's tracks."

Horatio sighed and looked briefly at Eric. "I think there's more to it than that, Doctor. Hold on a second." Moving the phone away slightly, he asked. "Eric, do you know some strength training exercise for the pool."

"You, bet, H. We can work with Stevie in the pool when he gets a little better."

Now that shy smile was directed at the younger Cuban. "I didn't want to volunteer you."

Eric put his hand on the man's shoulder. "You haven't. I've been meaning to tell you that I had the exercise information for you. We can show Stevie together."

"I'm going to need your help with him for a few minutes?"

"No problem."

Horatio turned back to the phone in his hand. "Doctor, don't say anything more to Stevie until Eric and I get there. I think I know what some of the problem may be."

"Ok. I won't." The doctor promised as he hung up.

Horatio put his phone away, then turned to the younger man. "What are the chances of having any prints or epithelials?"

"Well, considering the environment, I'd say small to slim, but the only sure way to know is to test it, you know that H."

"You want the inside or the outside?" Horatio's shy smile made another appearance.

"Well." Eric chuckled. "Normally, I'd say I'd flip you for it, but this time, I think I'll let you pull rank. Whichever one you don't want, I'll take." He told the older man.

Horatio chuckled softly. "In that case, I'll give you the outside. I could use the refresher."

Eric smiled with a nod. "Ok. Be right back."

As he turned to go back to the Hummer, Horatio walked back over to where Frank is holding Tanaka. "Well, Mr Tanaka, you've gotten a bit of a reprieve. I have something I absolutely must take care of, so our talk has been pushed to the back burner." Without giving him a chance to respond, Horatio looks up at Frank. "Do me a favor, please Frank, and take him back to Headquarters and put him in Holding cell 5, until I get back."

Frank had to fight not to laugh. Holding cell 5 was the one next to where all of the hardened criminals were kept before being transferred either to the Penn or to court, or wherever. "Sure thing, H." He turned to walk away, taking the Asian man with him.

Without any further distractions, Horatio and Eric were able to process the van, neatly and quickly. As they were putting the gear back into the Hummer, Horatio reminded Eric. "Don't say anything about the van to him, or his Mom, ok, Eric?"

"No problem, H." They climbed in and Horatio started it up. "Why do you think he's so apposed to this treatment, H? Doesn't he know that it's going to heal him quicker?"

"He may, Eric, in the back of his mind, somewhere." Horatio replied as he navigated the city streets. "In this particular instance, though, I think it's more of a case of being a bit self-conscious about how he looks." When Eric looked confused, Horatio continued. "I think he's been having some pretty strange dreams/nightmares. Teenagers, at that age when puberty hits are fighting themselves over a perceived body image anyway, and the paralysis is only making that self examination worse than it normally would be. This latest episode is just the bitter icing on an already bitter cake." _Not that I have any idea what he's going through._ The red head thought to himself quickly. He pulled into a parking space and shut off the engine. "Follow my lead, and we'll see what happens."


	12. Chapter 12

Wow!! Thanks for the reviews ladies. You all are really following the story very well, and I'm very glad that you're still enjoying it.What's on poor little Stevie's mind? Let's find out.

Chapter 12

They made their way up to the floor and got off the elevator, going down the hall to Stevie's room. As they approached the door, they heard Stevie tell Fitzgerald."You are not going to put me on display anywhere in my birthday suit, Doctor. This is not open for debate or discussion."

"Stevie." Doctor Fitzgerald almost begged. "I'm just trying to help you, make you well again. Don't you want to get out of here?"

Horatio and Eric traded concerned looks, then walked into the room. Eric stood by the door, as Horatio walked up to the bed to look down at the boy.

"Of course I do, Doctor, but you're not going to put me on display, so that you and your friends and coworkers can point and tease, poke and prod at me for your enjoyment and education. Forget it, Doctor." The boy's voice quivered slightly.

"Wait a minute, Stevie." Horatio tried to calm things down. "Have you been having that dream again?"

Having had the dream, twice, in one night, the boy still was in no mood to be coddled, even from the one man he knew he could trust. "What dream is it you think I've been having, H?"

Praying that he could keep his own voice even, Horatio admitted to the one thing that even he couldn't control. "You know, the one where you thought you wore a shirt to school, but you come around this corner, and suddenly you look down at yourself, and you realize you don't have one on, and everybody can see what happened, and the scars are long, and ugly, and red, and angry looking?"

Even Stevie could hear the tremor in Horatio's voice. The other adults looked at each other confused, wondering what it was about the red head that he had chosen not to tell anyone about. The boy blinked the tears away as he nodded. "I look like Frankenstein's monster, H. He wants to put me in a tank and fill it with water, so that all of the nurses and doctors, and even the other patients families can point and tease and stare at me. In my birthday suit. I'm not doing it."

"In your dream, Stevie, how many of us are there?" Horatio tried to get him to talk about the dream.

Even though the boy's eyes were closed, a tear still managed to escape out of the corner of each eye. "You all are, H. You, and Mom, and Aunt Calleigh, and Mister Eric, Doctor Fitz, all of the other nurses and doctors, all my therapists, my friends from school, my teachers, the people that work in the office, only practically everybody, even my Dad is there, H." The boy's voice had started to waiver, then caught completely when he mentioned his father.

Eric walked up to the bed, next to Horatio. "Stevie, you do have a pair of swim trunks, don't you?"

"Hey, Mister Eric. Of course I do. This is Miami, after all."

Eric and Horatio traded amused looks, then they looked up at Fitzgerald. "There's not a problem with him wearing his trunks in the treatment tank is there, Doctor." Horatio asked.

"I wish I had thought of that. No, gentlemen, there's not a problem with it." Fitzgerald admitted.

Eric leaned in to the boy. "Then guess what, Stevie? You, and H, and I will be spending some time in the pool. I've got a couple of exercises to teach you that will help build some of that stamina back up, then we can get you back in the gym. How's that sound?"

"Pretty good, Mister Eric. It sounds pretty good to me." Stevie grinned crookedly. "I'm sorry for being such a wuss, guys." He looked over at Fitzgerald. "Doctor Fitz, how many people are going to be able to fit in this tank of yours?"

The doctor thought on it for a minute. "Well, in theory, approx 12 people should be able to fit into the tank, it's actually fairly large, Stevie. We won't have nearly that many people in it though."

"Ok." The boy replied, then looked over at Horatio. "H……""Don't even think it, partner. I'm coming with you" The older man was quick to assure him. Looking up at the Doctor, he asked. "That's not a problem, either, is it?"

"No."

Horatio looked up for a minute to look around the room. "Could….uhm, could you all give us just a minute, please?" When Fitzgerald moved towards the door, Horatio called out to him. "Could you just hang out in the hall for a few minutes, Doctor?"

"Sure. I'll be right out here."

"Thank you." Horatio looked back down at the boy. "What else about this is bothering you, Stevie?"

"What makes you think something else is bothering me?"

"Stevie." Horatio tilted his head at the boy. "I may not have known you for very long, but I know a guy who's trying to keep something from worrying his Mom when I see one. This is something that you don't want Mom or Aunt Calleigh to know anything about, do you?"

"Not especially, no. I don't." The boy admitted.

Neither one of them noticed when both Mom and Calleigh approached the hall side of the door, and eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Talk to me, Stevie. What are you thinking about? What has got you so worried?"

"Well did Doctor Fitz tell you that he thinks he may have left some glass in me?"

The red head nodded. "He told me."

"Ok. I look bad enough as it is. Now, Doctor Fitzgerald says that he left some glass in me and that he's going to have to cut me some more in order to get all of it out. When I get older, and I'm interested in a girlfriend, what's going to happen when she sees this….." He held his arms out away from his body. "….I'll tell you what going to happen. It's going to put a screeching halt to whatever might have been about to happen."

Horatio sighed deeply. _What do I tell him? The one thing that I can't handle either. The fear of being viewed as nothing more than a monster, and being rejected our of hand for something I couldn't control at the time._ "Stevie." Horatio began, slowly. "I realize this is probably going to be hard to picture, but when it's you and her, and it's magic, and it's right, this….." He tapped the boy in the center of his chest, over his sternum. "….Is not going to matter. She's not going to see this. All she's going to see is your heart and soul, the man you are inside."

"You're sure?" The boy asked, trying to believe, but having a very hard time picturing it.

"Trust me, Stevie, when it's the right time, it's magic."

"Have you ever had the magic, H?" The boy asked innocently.

The man's voice wavered just a bit. "No, Stevie, I haven't. The woman I want to share the magic with, well, it's a lot more complicated with me."

"You just said that when the magic happens, that she won't see the physical. Tell her, H. Try to see if the magic will start." The boy advised.

"I will, I promise, Stevie." _Great, I'm reduced to taking relationship advise from a 12 year old._ "I'll be right back. I have to go tell Doctor Fitzgerald something."

"Ok."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Horatio walked out to the hallway to find Dr Fitzgerald. "I'm sorry if it seemed I took over in there, Doctor."

The doctor shook his head. "You didn't, Lt. I was racking my brain trying to come up with something that might appease him."

Horatio looked briefly over at Eric, then turned back to the doctor. "Well, I think between my attendance for tomorrow, and the idea of being able to go back into the pool, we may have his cooperation, at least for a while."

Fitzgerald nodded. "It sounds like it."Horatio looked down at the floor for a moment, gathering his thoughts, then looked back up at the Doctor. "What time were you going to start the procedure in the morning, Doctor?"

"As quickly in the morning as can be managed, Lt. The day shift starts at 7am, once they come in and take vitals of the patients, etc. Let's say 8, no later than 9."

Horatio grinned briefly before tilting his head the doctor's direction. "Perhaps I should have asked, what time did you want me here in the morning, Doctor?"

"Oh." The doctor chuckled. "Well, I'd say probably 6, no later than 7. That should give you time to change, or to back out, if you're going to or need to."

Horatio felt the shift in his temper, and attempted to keep a lid on it. He forced his eyes to remain their normal sky blue, and his voice it's even timber. "I'm not going to back out, Doctor. I've promised Stevie that I would be here, and I will be. I also won't 'need' to back out because of work. I don't need to baby sit the team to make sure the work gets done. Calleigh and I will both be here for part of the day, and they know this. Ryan and Eric can handle things until we come back."

"Very good." Doctor Fitzgerald replied, attempting to ignore the fear that came up when the red head's voice changed. He attempted to walk away, but the Lt stopped him, with a hand on his arm.

"Doctor, I've been meaning to ask you, what, if anything, can be done to make Stevie's stay in the hospital a little more bearable? I'm here as much as I can be, but I know that's not enough. You won't let him back in the gym or a swimming pool until the infection clears, which is understandable, but what can we do to get his mind off of this?"

Doctor Fitzgerald thought on that for a minute. "Well, almost anything will work at this point, Lt. He only watches tv for so long, before he becomes bored even with that." The doctor turned to Stevie's Mom. "Is he in school yet, Jessica?"

She smiled. "Yes, he should be. I've been in contact with the school, and they have assured me they are keeping his assignments until I can come over to pick them up, and he will have an extended period of time to get them done in."

Fitzgerald admitted. "Well, that will help. Other visitors will also help, grandparents, friends, siblings, other relatives. Bring in books for him to read. He's always talking about drawing, bring that in for him. Almost anything to get his mind, even just temporarily, off of what he's feeling."

"What about his laptop, and maybe some movies, Ron?" Jessica asked.

"I wouldn't leave them here overnight, but, yes, that would work as well." Fitzgerald turned to look from her back to the red head. "As I said, almost anything to get his mind off of the pain, will help. He's refusing pain killers until it's so bad that he can't dismiss it anymore, and, even then, he will only allow just enough to take the edge off."

Horatio looked back up to the doctor. "Doctor Fitzgerald, may I ask, what pain killer are you giving him? He's complained, at least to me, that the one he's on now, is giving him symptoms similar to a hangover. Headache, nausea, sensitivity to light, all of it. Is there something a little less potent that you can give him instead?"

The doctor scowled. "This is the first I'm even hearing of this." He looked up toward the ceiling for a moment, then back toward the CSI. "It certainly does explain things. Of course there is. I had been giving him Codeine, which is what he is complaining about. I'll change it to just Tylenol. If by chance I need to give him something stronger, especially once he restarts his therapy, I'll give him Tylenol 3's. They have a very mild amount of Codeine in them, but for someone his age and size, the Tylenol plain should work just fine. I'll change it in his chart when I go back to the nurse's station."

"Very good." Horatio responded. He looked briefly over at Eric. "I'll be right back, Eric, then we need to head back."

Eric stepped up to the red head. "I want to say 'bye' too, H. I may not see him for a couple of days."

"Ok." Horatio and Eric stepped into the room. One man made his way to one side of the bed, as the other man made his way to the other. "Hey, partner. You still with us?" Horatio asked the boy.

"Absolutely, H." The boy responded. "Hey, there, Mister Eric."

"Hey there yourself, buddy. I wanted to let you know I may not be here for tomorrow, but as soon as you can go into the pool, I'll be here, Ok?"

"Sure. I know you guys are working on the case and others. In fact, sometimes I worry that I'm taking H away from important work when he's here." The boy admitted.

Eric traded an amused grin with Horatio. "Most of the time, he's just there to make sure we do our jobs right, Stevie, so H doesn't always have a lot of work to do with a case. He's there to make sure that all the 't's get crossed and all the 'I's get dotted."

"You're sure?" Stevie asked.

"Yes, Stevie, I'm sure." Horatio was quick to reassure him. "I'm not leaving work undone, and I'm not anywhere I don't want to be, Ok?" When the boy nodded, he continued. "We do need to head back to the lab, Stevie, but I will be here first thing in the morning, Ok?"

"Ok, H. I'll see you bright and early first thing in the morning." The boy told him.

"Yup. Bright and early, first thing in the morning." Horatio agreed. He and Eric waved 'bye' as they walked out of the room, to stop and talk with Calleigh and Jessica.

"Ok, Jessica. We have to get back to the lab, but if anything happens or you need me, I'm still just a phone call away."

Jessica nodded. "I know. Thank you again for all your help, Horatio." She held her hand out to him.

He shook her hand, ducking his head, that shy, embarrassed smile making a return appearance. "It's not a problem, Jessica. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Did you need me to come back to the lab, Handsome?" Calleigh asked.

"Nope, or at least, I don't think so, Beautiful." He told her. "Just make your way back at your convenience, Ok?"

"Ok." She replied.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

He and Eric made their way down to the lobby, then outside to the Hummer.

"You know, H. I have this friend, who might be able to help us with the van. You know, refit it so that Stevie and Jessica can use it again." Eric admitted.

"That would really be a good thing, Eric. Do you want to call him, or what?" Horatio had stopped for a red light.

"How about we drive over there and talk with him?" Eric suggested. When Horatio nodded, Eric directed him. "Ok. At the next light, make a right, please?"

They made their way over to the New Car dealership, and got out of the Hummer. They walked up to an African American man.

"Hey, Marcus. Did the boss decide to skip out or is he here today."

"Hey, Eric." The man high-fived him. "Haven't seen you in, like, forever, man. Where you been keeping yourself?" He gestured toward Horatio. "Who's your silent shadow."

Eric chuckled, exchanging a quick look with Horatio. "Oh, you know. I've been around. This is my boss, Lt Horatio Caine."

The African American man's eyebrow's went up, as he held his hand out to the red head. Horatio shook the man's hand. "How do you do, Lt. I've heard quite a bit about you."

Horatio chuckled. "Just don't believe everything you hear. My pleasure to meet you as well."

Eric laughed. "Ok. What about the boss, man."

Marcus chuckled. "Oh, you know, man, he's always here. You should find him in his office."

They walked into the dealership lobby. Eric stopped an Asian woman. "Hey, Mrs Yamada. Where's the boss?"

"Oh, Hello, young Mr Eric." Her accent is extremely thick. "I believe you'll find him in his office."

"It's ok to go back?" He asked.

She nodded. "Of course."

Eric lead Horatio back to the offices and around the corner. "Hold up, H. This is his office." Eric knocked on the door.

"Come in." They heard from inside.

Eric opened the door. "Hey, Miguel. This is where you're keeping yourself. Not too bad." He teased the man, who also is of Cuban descent.

"Hey, yourself, _mijo_. Where have you been hiding?" When he had seen Horatio, he added. "Who's this?"

Eric indicated the red head. "This is my boss, Lt Horatio Caine." Turning to Horatio, he continued. "H, this is one of my childhood best friends, Miguel Ramirez." When the two men shake hands, Eric turned to his childhood friend. "Miguel, we've got a small problem we need your help with."

"Ok." The Cuban man indicated for them to sit in chairs opposite of his desk. "What's up?"

"Well, we have a young friend who had his van stolen, literally out from under him." Eric began. "We found the van today, but everything has been pulled out of it. Our young friend is trying to adjust his life to living it out of a wheelchair, and the van, before it was stolen was equipped with the latest and greatest. It had a ramp, a chair lift, and securements in the back. It also had a stereo, and a mobile phone, all of which was removed from the van by the Chop Shop people."

"So, your wanting the van to be re-equipped for this kid, right?" Miguel summarized.

"Exactly." Eric confirmed. "Can you do it?"

"I believe so, _mijo_." Miguel paused thoughtfully, turning the problem around from all sides. "Bring the van over, and we'll see what we can do with it, ok?"

Eric and Horatio trade grins, as they stand. Eric put his hand out to his friend. "I was hoping you'd say that, _amigo_. I'll let you know when I'm about to send it over."

Horatio also shook the man's hand. "Thank you for doing this, Mr Ramirez. It will really help out a lot."

"It's not a problem, Lt. I'm glad we can do something for the kid. He's really had a string of bad luck. Let's see if we can turn that around?" Miguel replied.

Horatio chuckled. "That's the idea." As Horatio and Eric made their way back to the Hummer, Horatio reminds the younger man. "Let's leave this just between you and I, ok, Eric?"

"No problem, H." Eric agreed. "I want to save it as a surprise, and the more people that know about it, the more chance there is of it getting spilled, even inadvertently, to Stevie. So, the fewer people that know about it, the better."

"That's it, exactly." Horatio drove them back to the Lab. Horatio noticed that the other Hummer is also back. "Well, it looks like Calleigh is back."

"Yeah, but who does this limousine belong to?" Eric agreed.

"That's a good question. Let's go inside and find out." Horatio remarked.


	15. Chapter 15

Ok, gang, this is where I had troubles before. This is the last chapter I posted originally. I'm going to try to post Chapter 16. We'll see what happens. Wish me luck. LOL.

Chapter 15

The two men made their way back into the building and rode the elevator up to CSI. They stepped off the elevator and stopped at the Reception Desk to get their messages.

As Paula handed Horatio his, she added "You also have visitors, Lt." She indicated behind him.

Both men turned to find two very tall, African American men waiting. They stood, as one of them asked. "Lt Caine?"

"Yes, sir?" Horatio responded, hesitantly.

The one man who asked his name, held out his hand to the red head. "I'm 'Special K' Daley." The man turns to indicate his companion in turn. "This is my friend, 'Hollywood' Turner. We're with the Harlem Globetrotters."

Horatio shook the men's hands, then turned to Eric. "This is Det Eric Delko. He's one of my CSI's." Once the 'how do you do's were dispensed with, Horatio turned back to his visitors. "How may I help you, gentlemen?"

Alexx, Ryan, and Calleigh had come on the scene unnoticed.

"Yes, sir. We had been informed of the robbery the other night at the Events Center Box Office. We also were informed that there was someone injured. A young boy who was coming to the game?"

"Yes, sir. There was." Horatio confirmed. "The boy is 12 years old, and is trying to adjust his life to living it from a wheelchair. He had been meeting some of his goals in therapy, and as a reward, his mother had gotten him tickets to the game. They were arriving just as the robbers were attempting to leave the scene, and their van was taken as a get a way car. They dumped the boy out of it, and he was injured when they dropped him out of the moving van."

"I see." Daley looked to his companion, then turned back to Horatio. "How badly was he injured?"

"Bad enough, I'm afraid." Horatio admitted. "When they dumped him out of the van, he landed on some glass, those incisions have become infected, and the doctor missed some glass when he was removing it from the boy's body. All of the original incisions will have to be cleaned, and sterilized, as well as the new ones when the doctor removes the remaining glass."

"I see." The man replied thoughtfully. The two basketball players whispered between themselves for a moment, then Daley turned back to the two CSI's. "We were not aware that things were quite so bad, Lt." He turned to Turner, who had picked up a box from the floor, and took the box from him. "We brought this for him, in the hope that it might lift his spirits. It was signed by the entire team."

"This will be greatly appreciated, gentlemen. Thank you very much." Horatio put the box on the counter beside him.

"We want to do something else for him, too, though, Lt. Let me run it by the coach, and we'll get back to you, if we may have your cell phone number?"

"Certainly." Horatio gave him the phone number.

"Excuse me, gentlemen." A soft southern voice came from beside them. When they looked, Daley and Horatio found Calleigh standing there with her camera. "You know he's not going to believe this without a picture, please?"

Horatio traded a roll of his eyes with Eric, as he replied. "I just knew you were going to do this to me, Calleigh. You know I'm not photogenic."

With sass in her voice, and a hand on her hip, Calleigh replied. "Oh, I beg to differ, Handsome. Besides, you know this is for Stevie, so please make an exception this one time, please?"

"Ok." He replied, with a sigh, knowing that he would have given in anyway.

The two basketball players moved around the red head, to flank him, and Eric moved to stand in front of Horatio off to his right. Calleigh brought her camera up and took several pictures of the men.

"Wow. Thank you, gentlemen. Stevie will really get quite a kick out of this, and the present too. Thank you very much."Horatio made quick introductions. "Gentlemen, this is Det Calleigh Duquesne. She is the boy's adopted Aunt, as well as his Godmother." Turning to the basketball players, he asked. "Stevie may want to thank you, himself. Is there by chance a phone number where he can reach you at?"

"Yes, and if we may have a piece of paper, we'll right him a short note, in lieu of a card."

Horatio handed the man a sheet of paper and a pen. Daley wrote for a minute, then passed the paper to his companion, who also wrote for a moment, then folded the paper, and put it under the ribbon on the box. Turner gave Horatio his pen back and offered his hand.

"Thank you for your time, Lt."

Horatio shook both men's hands. "Thank you for coming by, gentlemen. I can safely say, you will have made a certain young man's day with this. We do greatly appreciate it."

"You're more than welcome, Lt. For the boy's sake, please find out who did this as quickly as possible."

Horatio nodded. "We're going to do our best."

The two basketball players walked over to the elevator, and when the door opened, they stepped inside. As the door closed, Horatio turned to the others with a grin. "Ok, gang, the excitement is over. Let's get back to what the city pays us for."

Frank had come in just about then, and asked. "Were you going to interview that idiot from the Chop Shop, yet?"

"Thanks for the reminder, Frank. I need to make a phone call first, then, yes, I will be speaking with him. Bring him from Holding Cell 5 into Interrogation Room 3, please, and just wait for me there. I will be along, presently." He headed up the stairs to his office and closed the door. As he sat behind his desk and picked up the phone, he pressed a button. When Paula answered the phone, he told her. "Paula, I'm going to be on the phone, in a meeting. Unless we get a Code 31 call, I am not to be disturbed. Ok?"

"Yes, sir. You are only to be disturbed for a Code 31 until further notice." The young woman acknowledged.

"Thank you." He hung up the phone just long enough to disconnect the call, then picked it back up. When he was positive he had dial tone, he dialed another number.


	16. Chapter 16

Yay!! It saved!! I think I may actually have this. LOL. Ok, folks, thank you very much for being patient with me, while I tried to figure this out. New Chapters should be up, approx 1 a day for the remainder of the story, unless something happens in RL. I'm also posting the story somewhere else. You should see the link for the message board in my profile here in a day or two. In the meantime, please read and enjoy.

Chapter 16

A female voice answered. "Chief Burton's office. May I help you?"

Horatio cracked a grin, as he replied. "Beth, this is Lt Caine. Is he in by chance?"

"Oh, Hello, Lt. I believe he is, but let me check. Ok?"

She didn't see Horatio nod. "That's fine, just please tell him I need to talk to him for a few minutes."

"Ok." She replied, putting him on hold.

He heard the hold music for a couple of minutes, then she came back. "Lt? He is in. Let me transfer you."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied with a chuckle. "Thank you."

After a moment, a man's voice came over the phone. "Hey, there, Horatio. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I need you to demote Det Gabriel Montoya, and to transfer him back to patrol." Horatio told the Chief with no fanfair, and complete seriousness.

"You're really ticked off at him. What did he do, cross your path on a Sunday?" Chief Burton asked, laughing.

"Actually, no, he didn't." Horatio told the Chief. He explained further. "The stupid idiot doesn't understand the concept of paying attention to APB's when they go out."

Chief Burton suddenly heard the tone in the other man's voice. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am, Jim. Completely serious." Horatio admitted to his friend.

"Whoa. Horatio, slow down, and start over. What APB? What are you talking about?" Chief Burton asked.

"Ok, Jim." Horatio took a deep breath, letting it out, slowly, turning it into a sigh. "Did you hear about the robbery at the South Miami Beach Events Center?"

"Yes, I did. How is the investigation going?" Jim asked.

"Well, the investigation into the robbery is coming along at a somewhat normal pace. You know these things can't be rushed, Jim, even with my team."

Jim chuckled. "Yes, I do know. Even the 'super' team can't be rushed. Is there a piece of evidence that not even you can get to cough up it's secrets?"

That finally got Horatio to chuckle. "You must be joking, Jim. You want me to ruin my otherwise useless reputation? I don't think so."

Jim joined him in laughing. After a moment, the laughter died down. "Ok, so what happened that you want Montoya's head on a silver platter?"

Horatio went on to explain about Stevie, and what had happened the night of the robbery. He also explained that he had put out the APB the night of the robbery. He then explained how they had tracked the van to the Chop Shop using the GPS in the van, and how Auto Theft had insisted that the bust of the Chop Shop was theirs and how he had asked about the van, knowing it was inside. He also went on to explain how Montoya had admitted that the van had just been driven past their lookout without even a glance at the APB sheet.

"Ok." Jim replied slowly, thinking that he knew what was making the red head quite so upset. "I take it that the van had been 'processed' by the folks at the Chop Shop?"

"You take it correctly, Jim." Horatio then continued to explain about the state the van was in, and the fact that the friend of Eric's had thought he probably would be able to fix it up suitably enough so that they could give it back to Stevie and Jessica.

"Ok, Horatio." Jim began slowly, coming up with an idea. "I can understand why you would want to do what you were suggesting to him, but I think Det Montoya can be of more help to you now, as he is, than if you demoted him and sent him back to patrol."

Horatio huffed into the phone. "I don't agree, but explain it to me, please, Jim?"

"Sure." Jim smiled as he realized that he had temporarily derailed the red head's hunt for the Detective's head. "Here's what you do. You 'volunteer' him to work for Eric's friend and help out with the repairs to the van. I'm fairly certain that if he were to realize the bad that could potentially happen if he missed an APB in the future, that he would be less likely to miss them again. He would also need to be reminded of the seriousness of missing an APB, and I feel that this is the least painful way of explaining it to him."

Horatio thought about that for a couple of minutes, then laughed, mischievously. "You know, something, Jim. Remind me not to get on your bad side." He let the laughter die down for a minute. "I think this just might do the trick."

Burton's mischievous laugh mixed with Horatio's. "I was hoping you might see things that way. I will call down to Auto Theft, and inform the Captain. I would ask for you to wait maybe an hour or two before you go down to shanghai him. OK?"

"I can do that. Thanks again, Jim."

"My pleasure. Keep me updated on your progress, would you please, Horatio?"

"Sure."

As the two men said their goodbye's and hung up, Horatio was left feeling the problem had been resolved satisfactorily. After a moment of sitting there, thinking things through, Horatio got up from behind his desk and walked down the stairs. He stopped at the Reception Desk long enough to tell Paula. "I'm out of my meeting Paula, but I'm going to be in Interrogation, then I'm going to find Alexx, then I'll be over in Auto Theft, so if anyone needs me, just tell them to either call my cell, or text me."

"Ok." She replied, as she handed him a couple of new messages.

"Thank you, ma'am." He told her as he walked away with the messages. He went around to the Interrogation rooms to find Frank waiting with the Asian man from the Chop Shop, Daniel Tanaka. He no more walked into the Interrogation room than Tanaka laid into him.

"What did you put me in there for? Those men are animals."

Horatio's eyes grew steel and his voice easily dropped into the Danger Zone. "Mister Tanaka, if you will recall, I asked you several questions about your possession of the van I was interested in. Your responses were less than informative, and when I asked you to explain yourself, you were a bit reluctant to do so. My desire, and need, for that information has not changed. If you, by chance, are still reluctant to give me what I want, I will be forced into explaining things to those 'animals' as you put it, and let you plead your case to them. I will tell you, though, they are not nearly as patient as I am, and they do tend to get a bit overzealous, if you get my meaning." Horatio continued to stare daggers into the man.

"There's no reason to make threats, Lt." The man replied quickly, realizing what Horatio was getting at. "What do you want to know?"

"How long had you had the van?"

"Just since the night before. I don't know the guy's name, but he brought the van to me the night before, saying something about needing the van to disappear as quickly as possible."

Frank pulled out a sheet of paper from the file in his hand, and laid it on the table. It showed the ten card, picture and vitals for Kevin Miller, the man who worked at the Events Center Ticket office, from AFIS. "Is this the 'guy'?" He asked.

Tanaka nodded. "Yes, that's him."

"How was it that you were able to pull everything out of the van so quickly?" Horatio asked next.

The man actually looked and sounded proud of his men. "I put three of my best men on it, and the job was done in just about an hour."

Horatio's tone turned sarcastic. "It's actually too bad that I can't use them on the crew to refurbish the van, if they're that good." He remarked.

"Why is this van so important, Lt? It's just a van."

"I explained that at the shop, Mister Tanaka. The van belongs to a 12 year old boy, who is being forced to adjust to living his life from a wheelchair." The red head's anger was beginning to simmer. "I take it your men didn't notice the lift they were removing from the van?"

"No, we didn't, Lt." Tanaka became indignant. "It was just equipment that we had to remove."

"Yes, well." Horatio tilted his head to look at the man. "I will tell you this, Mister Tanaka. You and your men all have skills that any auto parts store, or dealership in town would absolutely die for. The group of you would be set for life, practically, but you all chose what appeared to be the easy path, a life of crime. If you, and your men, were using your talents to earn an honest living, you wouldn't be in this mess now, would you?" Horatio motions the uniform closer. "I sincerely hope it was worth it. You think about that, while you're sitting in a nice and quite Holding Cell off by yourself."

The uniform pulled the man out of his chair and moved him out the door.

Horatio started to walk away, but was stopped by the burly Texan's voice. "Where you off to, H?"

"Hopefully, to see the wizard, Frank." The red head quirked a grin, then added. "If you need me, I'll be on my cell."

Frank laughed. "No problem, H." As the door closed behind the CSI supervisor.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

The first 'wizard' Horatio went to see was the A/V lab. He walked in to find both Cooper and Tyler working. "Excuse me, Tyler?" When the younger man looked up, Horatio pulled a Compact Flash card out of the inside breast pocket of his suit coat, and held it out to him. "Would you do me a favor, please and print these out for me? The card is out of my personal camera from home, so I do want it back, but the pictures have to do with a current case. Once you have them printed, please put them in a file, and bring them to my office. If I'm not there, please just put them on my desk, Ok?"

Tyler's head bobbed up and down for a minute, as he took the card from Horatio. "Yes, sir."

"Thank you." Horatio turned and walked out the door.

Horatio's next stop was to the Morgue. Alexx was in the middle of pulling an organ out of a D.B., so he stood there, quietly, waiting for her to finish.

"Hello, Horatio. What can I do for you, Honey?" She asked, cheerfully.

"Well." He replied, hesitantly. "I kind of need a favor."

Her eyebrows went up at that. "You need a favor?" She points with her chin. "Let me finish with him, then I'm all yours. Ok?"

When the red head nodded, she continued to work."Alexx, I know you know a lot about medicine in general, but what do you know about Spinal Cord Injuries?" He asked, as he tilted his head to look over at her.

She arched her eyebrow at him again, before going back to her patient. "Well, I know some about it. When I was in Med School, I had briefly thought about that as a specialty. Why do you ask, Honey?" When he didn't answer her right away, she looked back up at him. "This has to do with the favor, doesn't it?"

He nodded. "Yes, it does, Alexx." He told her softly.

She stopped her work, and looked directly at the red head. "Ok, Horatio. Talk to me, Honey. What's going on?"

He took a deep breath, and let it out, slowly, turning it into a sigh. "Well, this could be just my imagination. I could be just letting the case get to me, Alexx." He began, hesitantly, almost shyly. Her look told him what she thought of that possibility, so he continued. "It's not that I don't trust Doctor Fitzgerald, it's just that some of his responses to what has been happening to Stevie hasn't……….well, just hasn't sat well with me."

Alexx cracked a grin at the man, then asked. "What exactly has gotten your 'spider' sense to tingling?"

He chuckled at the reference, as he continued to look down, at his hands. "I think that may be part of the problem, Alexx. It's not anything specific I can put my finger on. Just this feeling like something isn't fitting together. Although he has known Stevie for about 6 months, I was the one who had to tell him about Stevie's 'aversion' to the pain med that he's currently on."

Alexx snapped off her gloves, and covered the body. As she stroked the man's forehead, she told him. "I do apologize, Mr Zilinski, but he needs me for just a moment. I'll be right back."

Horatio started to argue with her, but when she gave him 'the look' that only she was able to do, the protest died on his lips.

She grabbed him by the arm, again, only something she was able to do, and pulled him into her office. "Ok, Honey. We're alone. Why don't you start from the beginning." As he started to do so, she added. "And don't give me any of that 'I'm not sure' business, because I'm positive that you are the one thing that I can count on to be sure, so take your time, but, please start at the beginning."

He cracked that shy, embarrassed grin, at her compliment, then asked. "Ok. Do you remember, the other day, when Calleigh and I were talking about her nephew, Stevie?"

Alexx thought back for just a moment, then nodded her head. "He's the one with the Spinal Cord Injury?" She asked unnecessarily.

Horatio nodded anyway. "He is."

Alexx's mind was trying to match Horatio's, and she asked. "I take it that the boy was involved, somehow, in the robbery at the Events Center?"

"He was." Horatio went on to paint the picture for her, explaining how the getaway van was stolen from Stevie and his mom, and how Stevie was injured at the scene. He also explained how the injuries had become infected quite so quickly, and what Doctor Fitzgerald had planned, to attempt to kill the infection.

Alexx allowed the silence to hang for just a minute, then turned back to the red head. "I understand, now, what has you so concerned, Honey. From the sounds of it, I'm not necessarily sure that Fitzgerald has considered all of the possibilities, but I do believe that he is doing as well as he can."

Horatio sighed for a moment, then tilted his head to look over at Alexx. "The favor I wanted to ask, Alexx, is I wanted you to meet Stevie anyway, but then, if you come to the hospital, you'd be able to take a look at his chart, just to make sure that Fitzgerald isn't missing anything."

In that instant, Alexx realized exactly what the red head was worried about, and although part of her was surprised to hear the man voice those kinds of reservations, part of her was not the least little bit surprised. "Alright, Horatio. I'll come take a look at the boy's records, and meet him." She put her hand on his forearm, squeezing it, gently. "Let me finish with Mr Zilinski in there, and I'll be ready."

He offered her a rare, genuine, grateful smile, as he replied. "Thank you, Alexx. When you're done, just page me, ok?"

"Sure." She replied. "I'll find you." As he walked out of her office, Alexx watched him go with a chuckle, and a shake of her head.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Horatio's next stop was to the Fingerprint lab, where Eric was hunched over a piece of evidence, with a '10 card' beside it. "What have you got for me, Eric?"

"Well, so far, none of the prints that you or I pulled out of the van match to Miller." He looked to the red head with a mixture of regret and frustration in his expression. "I'm sorry, H."

"Why, Eric? That only tells us that he wore gloves the entire time he was in the van. Mister Tanaka has, in fact, put him bringing the van to the Chop Shop. We just need to independently confirm that fact, that's all." He offered the younger man a tentative smile. "Not to worry, Eric. We'll come up with it. We always do."

When the younger man returned his smile with one of his own, the red head nodded slightly, then tilted his head to look at Eric, as he shifted his weight to turn so that one shoulder was also facing the younger man. "Speaking of which, Eric. Have you talked to the yard, yet, about moving the van?"

Eric nodded. "I did, H. They said that we could come get it at any time, but that one of us would have to do it."

"That's not a problem, either. You should have the chance to do it sometime during the day, tomorrow, maybe when both Calleigh and I are at the hospital with Stevie. Have it towed over to Miguel's, or check with him, see if he wants it towed to a different location."

Eric nodded again. "Sure, H. I'll take care of it."

Horatio flashed a quick, secretive, grin. "Actually, Eric, you're not going to have to do it yourself."

Eric's face mirrored the confusion in his voice. "What do you mean, H?"

Horatio chuckled softly, as he replied. "Well, if you'll put that evidence away, and come back with me to Auto Theft, I'll explain everything."

By the time they got back over to Auto Theft, Eric was up to speed with the red head's conversation with Chief Burton and the lesson Montoya was meant to learn. They walked back in to the Auto Theft Department, and although both men noticed the man at his desk, neither said anything directly to him. Horatio and Eric walked up to the Captain's office and Horatio knocked on the door.

The Captain looked up and waved them in. "Come in." He called out.

Horatio opened the door and walked in, holding the door open for Eric. Eric turned and closed the door behind himself, once he was inside the office too.

"Well, well, well, Lt. I wondered how long it would take you to come back." The Captain commented, looking the two men over. "I received a phone call from Chief Burton, and he has explained what you plan to do."

That caused Horatio's eyebrows to climb into his hair. He turned to look briefly at Eric, before turning back to the Captain. "Did he explain to you, sir, that he had to talk me out of demoting Montoya and sending him back to patrol, like I wanted to?"

The Captain chuckled. "He mentioned that in passing, yes, Lt. He did. When you left here the first time, I forewarned Det Montoya that he should consider himself lucky if he had not been by the end of the day."

Eric chuckled when Horatio looked down at the floor in an attempt to hide his embarrassment. "I think your rep has proceeded you, H."

Horatio chucked, as well. "It certainly seems that way, doesn't it." He looked back up, and locked eyes with the Captain. "You make that sound like you don't agree with the decision, Captain." When the man shook his head, Horatio asked. "May I ask why?"

The Captain looked up, sharply, wondering if he had imagined the shift in the temperature in the office. "Your people are perfect? They've never made mistakes?"

Eric attempted to clamp down on the laughter that bubbled up. Before Horatio could respond, Eric told the man behind the desk. "We are far from perfect, Captain. Lt Caine will be the first to dress us down when we need it, but he will also explain what we did wrong, and what we should have done that was right."

At that point, Horatio interrupted. This time, there was no mistaking the drop in the temperature in the office. "Captain, I have three individuals among my team, Eric included, that have the rank of 'Detective'. Each of my team that has that rank, has earned every letter of that title. I expect all of my team members to use their brains for what God gave them for and not as a hat rack, to quote my old man. Especially in CSI, the job is a constant learning experience, and it does not get old. There is always some new procedure to learn, a new way of doing something. Our department is the starting point for any prosecution that takes place. If in the course of an investigation, someone bungles something, so that a piece of evidence gets eliminated from a court case, and a suspect gets away, because of something we did, or worse yet, did not do, then, yes, you had better believe, I will dress them down, so quickly, their heads will spin. I prefer to think that I'm also quick with the praise when it's warranted." He looked back over at Eric.

The younger man quirked a grin, and a nod at Horatio, then chuckled at the duck that followed, knowing how easily the red head was embarrassed by praise aimed his direction.Horatio turned back to look at the Captain and continued his explanation. "Each of these people has worked for the department long enough, and they have all gone to the academy, where it was drilled into them the importance of paying attention to APB's. If Montoya had paid attention to the APB's, like he should have, then the van would not have gone past him and into the Chop Shop. Now, because he didn't do his job, I have to have a friend refit the van, just so I can give it back to the victim."

"What is so special about this van?" The Captain asked.Horatio stood up from his position leaning on the desk, and walked back over to stand beside Eric. "I was not stretching things when I explained that to your 'Detective', Captain. The victim of the theft, the owner of the van really is a 12 year old boy. The boy is paralyzed from the waist down, and he has only recently come into that condition. The van is his only means of getting around town. There is no other choice in whether or not the van has to be refurbished. Luckily, Eric has a friend who thinks he can get the work done."

"Ok, so explain to me again, why you think it's necessary to shanghai one of my best detectives?""If he's one of your best, this department is in sorry shape." Horatio muttered, half to himself, but Eric heard him too.

The younger man's eyes went wide, as he turned, slowly, to look over at the red head.

Horatio attempted to ignore Eric, as he slowly realized the younger man heard what he had said. Fighting to keep himself from blushing, Horatio looked at the Captain. "Your detective needs to learn that lesson. It's either that or, I tell Chief Burton that you're unwilling to give him to me, in which case I simply tell the Chief to demote him and transfer him back to patrol, in which case, you have no say in the matter, and he still learns the lesson, but in a lot harder fashion. Which is it going to be?"

The Captain blanched, as he realized what Horatio had said. "It's not necessary to treat me like one of your suspects, Lt. I merely asked a question."As the man got up and moved around his desk, Horatio attempted to apologize. "I'm sorry, Captain. You made it seem as if you were considering not giving him to me and I just wanted to make sure you understood the entire situation, that's all."

As he went to the door, the Captain replied. "I consider myself informed, Lt."

Eric chuckled when the red head, once again, looked down at the floor, embarrassed. Both men noticed when the Captain reached for the knob on the door."Captain, would also please ask him to bring the file from the Chop Shop with him?"

The Captain did, in fact open the door, and called out. "Hey, Gabe, would you come in here, please, and bring the file from the Flagler Street Chop Shop with you?"

Montoya looked up from his desk. "I'll be right there, Captain." As he began to look for the file, several of the other members of the department attempted to tease him about what the red headed Lt, and his cohort from CSI could want with him. He looked up in trepidation, to notice that all three men inside the office are looking his direction, expectantly. He picked up the file, and looked over at his partner. "Wish me luck?" He asked, only half joking.

His blonde partner looked over his shoulder and took in the three men in the office. He looked back up at Montoya, ruefully. "If only half of his reputation is even remotely accurate, you're going to need it, amigo."

The Hispanic Detective chuckled sarcastically under his breath. "Thanks a lot." As he got right next to his partner, he whispered. "You're no help." They shared a quiet, soft laugh, then Montoya walked away, and approached the door. Before he even had the chance to knock, the Captain motions for him to come in. "Here's the file you asked for, Captain." Montoya handed it toward the Captain, but Horatio reached out and took it from him.

"Your Captain didn't ask for it, I did." Horatio opened the file, and began to slowly flip through the pictures. "Bingo." Horatio muttered to himself. He turned to his younger companion and held the open folder out to him. "Eric, take a look. We've got him." Horatio commented, pleased.

Eric took the open folder from the red head, and flipped through several of the pictures. They very clearly showed Kevin Miller getting out of the van, and talking with Daniel Tanaka before shaking the Asian man's hand, as money is exchanged from Tanaka to Miller.

Horatio turned to Montoya. "Ok, Detective, here's what I need to happen. We will need a complete copy of that entire file. Be sure to have it ready when Eric comes to get you sometime during the day tomorrow. From tomorrow until when the work is finished, you will be assisting the friend of Eric's who has agreed to attempt to renovate the van. You will do what he says, when he says. If I get any word that you have been difficult to get along with, or have messed anything up, you will be demoted back to officer, and sent back to patrol, so fast, it's going to make your head spin. I hope you have the picture?"

Montoya nodded. "May I ask why?" He asked, hoping he hasn't bitten off more than he could chew.

Horatio nodded. "You may ask." He turned to look at the Captain. "This, Captain, is what a tongue lashing from me sounds and feels like. I hope you're paying attention." He turned to look back at Montoya. "If you had been doing your job the way it was supposed to have been done, and had seen the APB and had taken notice of it, chances are that you would have been able to have stopped the van, before it got into the Chop Shop, but because you did not, and they did get their hands on that van, and have stripped it completely clean, I have to have a friend refurbish it, so that I can give it back to the rightful owner, in usable condition. The van can't be used for what it was purchased for in it's current condition and that is no one's fault but yours.

"You are the leader of the team investigating the Chop Shop, and any and or all of you should have been paying attention to any APB's that went out, especially for stolen cars, vans, trucks, etc. As the leader of the team, and the lead Detective on the case, it is your responsibility to make sure that all of the 't's are crossed and all the 'I's are dotted, regardless of what is happening in your private life, etc. The city looks to you, as a Detective, and all of us, as Police Officers to protect them from those that would do them harm, regardless of the harm intended. I want you to take a good look at this van in it's current condition, and remember what I have told you. Right now, none of this is going on your Personnel Record, however, if it happens again, especially if I find out about it, I can't guarantee that it won't get on your Record. Missing that APB was completely inexcusable and there's no justification for it, for any reason, so don't even try.

"Eric will come back by here sometime during the day tomorrow to pick you up and take you over to the company that will be doing the work. Do what they tell you, when they tell you. You will be working directly for them until the van is finished. Do you have any questions?"

Montoya shook his head.

"Good." Horatio took a step towards the door, then thought of something else he wanted to say. He turned back to look at the Hispanic Detective. "Originally, when I had contacted Chief Burton about this, I had wanted to demote you and send you back to Patrol. If I find out from the Shop owner that you've been less than cooperative in helping to fix the van, just remember, that can still happen, if it needs to. Also, don't try falling off the face of the planet, either. We're all cops here. We would ultimately find you, but then, you'd still end up going back to Patrol. I hope I have made myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." Montoya was quick to assure the man. "You've made yourself crystal clear."

The red head nodded, satisfied that the message, had in fact, gotten through. "Very good. Eric will see you sometime during the day tomorrow." He turned back, and grabbed the knob of the door, opening it, and making his way out of the Department.

As they made their way back to CSI, Eric looked over at the red head and chuckled softly. When Horatio looked back at him, puzzled, Eric explained. "I know one thing, H. I would not ever want a dressing down like that, for any reason. I thought Montoya was going to have an accident." He laughed a bit more heartily when Horatio looked down, and quirked that shy, embarrassed grin.

"Yeah, well, Luckily none of you has ever deserved one, Eric. I didn't pick the best for no reason, you know." Horatio continued to navigate them back to CSI. "When I started gathering this team, I took everything into consideration, and that included an extensive interview. Remember the interview we did?" He waited for the younger man to remember.

Eric's eyes went wide for a moment, as he did, in fact, remember under what conditions, Horatio had conducted the original interview for CSI. "Oh, yeah. I remember thinking at the time, how strange it was to come out of the pool to find you sitting there waiting for me. Then, when you introduced yourself, I realized what was going on."

"I remember how floored you were that I conducted the interview in the middle of the University weight room." Horatio chuckled at his own memories of the meeting. "As well as the fact that I was able to keep up with you on some of those exercises you did." He looked over at the younger man, briefly, before asking. "Were you just trying to test me, or did you actually do those exercises back then?"

As they made their way back into CSI, Eric chuckled as he admitted. "I used to, yes, but don't do some of them any longer, for variety's sake."

"Un huh." Horatio responded with a knowing smirk. He felt his phone vibrate in his coat pocket. When he retrieved it, he was only mildly surprised to find a message from Alexx, that she was ready to go to the hospital to meet Stevie. He looked back up at Eric. "Go ahead and process the rest of the evidence that we brought back from the Chop Shop, and see, if by chance we just happen to get lucky."

"Sure, H. I'll get right back on it."

As he started to walk away, Horatio replied. "Thank you, Eric." He moved off to relocate his M.E. "There you are, Alexx. You ready to go?"

She nodded. Just as they were about to retrace Horatio's steps back toward the Reception Desk, Tyler poked his head out of the A/V lab. "Hey, boss, I'm glad I caught you."

They stopped, and Horatio turned to the younger man. "What have you got for me, Tyler?"

The younger man held out a file to the red head. "Just those pictures that you wanted printed. Here they are."

Horatio took the file and opened it. "Oh, ok. Thank you for getting them out quite so quickly, Tyler."

As he started to flip through the pictures, Tyler took a chance, and put out. "You're more than welcome, boss. They actually turned out pretty well. If you ever got tired of being a CSI, you could always change careers and become a photographer."

Horatio fought, not to let his embarrassment kill him. "Hmmmm." He muttered noncommittally. "I'm glad you think so, Tyler, although the chances of that happening are fairly small." Horatio looked over at Alexx, who actually was quite amused by his reaction. He felt his eyebrow climb into his hair, as he asked. "What, Alexx?"

She chuckled as a grin formed. "May I?" She asked, holding her hand out to him.

"It's not worth the effort, but, sure, if you want." The red head passed her the folder.

She shook her head at him. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't think it was worth the effort, Horatio." She looked down at the pictures, then looked back up at him. "Tyler's right. You would definitely have this to fall back on, if you needed to."

Horatio can't keep the embarrassment at bay this time, and both Tyler, and Alexx chuckled softly at the pink tinge that appeared on the man's cheeks. "Ok. I get it. Thank you." He held out his hand for the file, again, and Alexx passed it back to him. "Thanks again, Tyler."

"No problem, H." He told the man, watching him walk away, shaking his head in amusement.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Horatio and Alexx made their way up to the hospital. They walked in to find Jessica sitting there, working a puzzle. "Hey, Jessica." He looked over at the bed, briefly, then looked back at the woman. "How are things, now?"

She put her pen in her puzzle magazine, then stood up, looking over at the bed for just a moment, before turning back to Horatio. "A little bit better, Horatio." She sighed. "He still fought the pain killer, but once he was told that it was just Tylenol, he took it fairly easily."

Alexx looked puzzled as Horatio shook his head, sighing as well. "Does he have something against taking pain killers?" She asked.

"I'm not sure what it is, Alexx, but, yes, he does, apparently." Horatio told her. "He has fought pain killers for this entire time."

Jessica chuckled. "You should have seen him, when he first came out of his coma, Horatio. There he was, both lungs had been collapsed, and re-inflated, his back was broken, and his spine severed, several ribs broken, and a slight concussion, and he still would not ask for a pain killer." Her eyes took on this far away look. "You know, His father used to be that way, too. He would ignore pain too, or at least put it off for as long as he could. He used to say that it was a case of mind over matter, and that if you ignored it long enough, it would go away and bother some one else."

Alexx chuckled as she looked over at the red head. "That sounds an awful lot like a certain person I know, too."

The women traded amused looks, as Horatio's embarrassed, boyish grin made another appearance. "Yeah, well." He demurred. "Pain can be dealt with. It's just temporary." He turned to the two women to make the introductions. "Jessica, this is Doctor Alexx Woods. She's my Medical Examiner, the person I turn to for answers for any 'medical' type questions that need to be answered on a case. Alexx, this is Stevie's Mom, Jessica Douglas."

The two women shook hands. After the 'how do you do's have been exchanged, Jessica admitted. "Calleigh's told me so much about you, Doctor, that I feel as if I've known you all along."

Alexx laughed. "Then, she undoubtedly told you that 'Doctor Woods' is my husband."

Jessica nodded with a smile. "She did."

"Jessica. We would like yours and Stevie's permission for Alexx to look over his chart."

Jessica looked alarmed. "Why? What's wrong?"

Horatio put his hand on her shoulder, to steady her. "I don't think anything's wrong, Jessica. I just want to make sure it stays that way."

"You don't think Ron's been completely honest with you, do you?" She asked him, then cracked her own grin, watching as his head ducked in embarrassment.

When Horatio looked back up, she noticed his grin, as well. "No, ma'am, I don't think he's been completely honest me, and it's not something specific that I can put my finger on. I just want to make sure that, once this gets squared away, that Stevie's health problems will be a thing of the past, as much as they can be."

Jessica nodded. "You have mine, of course. I would also like you to get Stevie's, since the chart is of him." She chuckled slightly.

"Of course. I was going to get his permission as well. As you say, the chart is his." Horatio was quick to reassure her.

Suddenly, a noise came from the direction of the bed, and all three adults turned toward it. Stevie tossed and turned in bed, obviously agitated from the dream he was having. The boy mumbled in his sleep. "No, you can't have him. Run, H. Take Mom, run…..No!! H!!" The boy sat up in bed, his eyes flew open in sheer terror.

Horatio was the first to reach the bed. "Stevie, you're ok. You were just having a bad dream. You're ok, partner." He noticed that the boy had reached out and grabbed him by both arms, and that, even now, although the boy's grip was weakening, that he was still hanging on. The EKG was still recording the boy's heart rate and rhythm, so that when he started having his dream, the EKG still recorded his physiological reactions to the dream. His heart rate had gone up, and it had been obvious that the dream had frightened him.

Doctor Fitzgerald and several nurses ran into the room, but stopped when they saw Horatio, Stevie's Mom, and Alexx all gathered around the bed. "Is everything ok in here?" Doctor Fitzgerald asked.

Without looking away from Stevie, Horatio answered him. "Everything is fine. Everyone else can go back to work, but would you please stay for a few minutes, Doctor?"

Fitzgerald looked puzzled. "Sure. I'll just wait right here." He replied from the door.

"That's fine. Thank you." Horatio replied to Fitzgerald. He looked down at the boy. Stevie still had a grip on his forearms. "Stevie, you're ok, son. It was just a bad dream."

Horatio noticed when Stevie moved his hands from his arms, and briefly, but gently ran them over the man's body and around his sides. "Yeah, I'm fine, H, but what about you?"

Without breaking eye contact with the boy, Horatio asked. "Alexx, would you please come around here, and lower the bed railing, for me?"

"Sure." She replied, as she did as he asked. She watched as he sat on the bed, beside the boy, as he grinned at her, in thanks, then turned back to Stevie. She grinned at him in return, then as she moved off, to give them some privacy, she patted him on the back. As she walked away, it dawned on her that the boy is one of a very small handful of people, other than the team, that the red head would allow to touch him, knowing he did not really like to be touched.

"Ok, Stevie. What about me? What happened in your dream? Can you talk about it?" Horatio watches as the tears began to pool in the Hazel eyes.

"We were walking along. You, Mom, Aunt Calleigh, and I. It was dark, and we couldn't see where we were going. Suddenly, the floor gave way, and we fell. When we landed, we were picking each other up, and checking each other out when these boxes and tubes and pipes started falling on us. I got myself out without any problems, and I could help Mom and Aunt Calleigh get out, but when we went to help you, I had no strength left." The boy's voice begins to break. "Every time we got some of them moved away, if I took a break, cause I was tired, or something, some more boxes and tubes and pipes would fall on you, so that, eventually, you were buried completely." The boy's voice broke, as the tears began to fall, and he pulled Horatio to him, partially to hide from the emotions, but more to reassure himself of the man's solidity.

Horatio hugged the boy to him, as he exchanged a concern look with both Jessica, and Alexx. He moved his hand, as gently as possible, over the boy's back, trying to calm him. "Stevie, shhhh. I'm right here, partner. It was just a bad dream. I'm fine."

After a few minutes, the boy's crying slowly died down, and Horatio asked. "You ok, partner?" When the boy nodded wordlessly to him, Horatio responded. "Look up here a minute."

Eventually, the boy did look up, but with an embarrassed grin. "I'm sorry for being such a wuss, H." He wiped away some of his tears.

Horatio chuckled. "Not to worry. Everything's fine." He helped the boy to lean back, against the pillows. "Stevie, I take every possible precaution, when I'm at work. We are always very careful when we're at a scene, simply because we do not ever know what we're going to find. We are as careful as we can be. Ok?"

The boy nodded. "Ok, I understand, H."

Stevie noticed Alexx standing there, as if for the first time. "Who's this?"

Horatio looked to where the boy was pointing. "That is Doctor Woods, Stevie. She works at CSI with Aunt Calleigh, and I."

After they shook hands and the 'how do you do's were exchanged, Stevie still looked puzzled. "Ok. Why would you want me to meet her?" He turned to look at Alexx. "No offense, Dr."

"Don't worry, Stevie, none was taken." She told him.

Horatio chuckled. "Well, Stevie, I wanted her to meet you. Aunt Calleigh and I were talking about you the other day, and Dr Alexx asked about you, so I wanted her to meet you. I also wanted to ask you if it was ok if she looked at your medical records."

"Why would you want her to? Is something wrong?" The boy asked worriedly.

"Truthfully, I'm not sure, but I don't think so." Horatio told the boy.

"You 'don't think so', but you're not sure?" Stevie echoed.

"Exactly. I just want to make sure that everything's ok, Stevie, really." Horatio told him, truthfully.

"Has Doctor Fitz done or said something to make you think that not everything's ok?" Stevie looked back at the red head.

"Yes, Lt, have I?" Fitzgerald challenged him from the doorway.

Horatio first looked over his shoulder at the Doctor, then turned back to the boy. "I'm sorry, Stevie, but it's actually what he hasn't said that is concerning me."

When Stevie looked up at him, puzzled, Horatio explained. "Every time I have asked about your condition, he has given me a less than complete answer." The red head got up from the bed, and walked over to stand directly in front of the Doctor. "What are you not telling us, Doctor Fitzgerald?"

Even though he stood head and shoulders above the man, and had a significant number of pounds weight advantage over the Lt, the doctor was amazed at how quickly the red head's presence filled the room. The Doctor was forced, fairly quickly, to drop his eyes from the Lt's cold blue ones, noticing the wall of steel behind them, as well as the significant drop in the temperature of the room. Realizing that the police officer was not a man you messed with, Fitzgerald dropped his eyes, and moved around the man, to approach the boy in the bed. "No, I haven't kept anything from you, Lt. Stevie, he's not a member of your family. I can't tell him anything, even though he's a police officer. It's called doctor/patient confidentiality."

"You can tell him, if I say it's ok to, though, right, Doctor Fitz?" Stevie looked up at him.

The man nodded, confused."Ok, I do. He is a member of my family. Whatever he asks, you tell him. Do we understand each other, Doctor?" The boy had been studying the red head and attempted to band his voice with the steel in Horatio's.

Alexx and Jessica smirked at each other as they noticed the attempt and looked over at the red head. Alexx chuckled at Horatio's reaction. She could tell by how intently Horatio studied his hands, that the man was embarrassed at how quickly the boy was trying to emulate him.

However it worked just enough. The Doctor swallowed nervously, then nodded. "Ok, Stevie. It's not a problem. I'll add Lt Caine's name to your contact list on your records, ok?"

The boy nodded in turn. "Ok, thank you Doctor Fitz. Also, do me a favor and allow Doctor Alexx to look at all of my records."

Alexx stepped up to the man, and held her hand out to him. "Doctor Alexx Woods. Lead the way, please, Doctor?"

Fitzgerald shook Alexx's hand, then told her. "Please come with me, Doctor."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

As the two doctors left the room, Horatio walked back over to the bed. "You do realize that won't work all of the time, don't you, Stevie?"

The boy looked up at him, embarrassed. "I know. I'm sorry, H. It's just that it seems to work for you, and it always works for Captain Picard. My dad even had to use it once in a while when the guys at the lab would start to goof off. He used to call it his 'I'm the boss and I mean business' voice." The boy quirked a grin at the memory.

Horatio chuckled softly, then told the boy. "I think I'll take that compliment. To be mentioned in the same breath as a guy's Dad and Captain Picard? I am in illustrious company indeed."

The three of them shared a laugh over that one, then Horatio asked. "Has Doctor Fitzgerald been your Pediatrician all of this time, Stevie?"

"Actually, no, Horatio, he hasn't been." Jessica admitted. "He's only been Stevie's Physiatrist since the accident."

"Ok." Horatio replied, thinking. "Was he assigned to Stevie from the Emergency Room, or how did you come in contact with him?"

Jessica looked back on the days right after the accident. "No. I actually met him through a friend of Steve's, from work."

"What's this friend's name?"

"Stanley Miller." Jessica informed him.

"Ok, thank you, Jessica." Horatio wrote in his pocket notebook for a moment, then pulled one of the photos out of the file and offered it to them. "Do you know either of these two men?"

"I don't know the guy on the right, but the one on the left is my PT, my Physical Therapist, Dennis." Stevie explained, then looked up at his mother. "What about you, Mom?"

She looked at the picture from over her son's shoulder. "The one on the right is Gary Winters, the owner of the construction company that I hired to do the renovations on the house." She realized the implications of that and looked at Horatio, puzzled. "How do these two men know each other, Horatio?"

"I'm not sure, Jessica, but I intend on finding out." He took the picture back and put in back in the file, then looked back up at Jessica. "How did you come into contact with Mr Winters? Was it through this friend of your husband's?"

She shook her head. "Not directly, no. I was in a meeting with the lawyers one day, and I was explaining about Stevie's injuries and the fact that the house was going to have to be renovated. The lawyer said that he thought he knew of someone. The next thing I knew, he was on the phone with Stanley, asking about his relative that had the construction company. I was up here at the hospital with Stevie, the next day, and Stanley brought a man to meet me that he said was his cousin, and that the cousin had a construction company that could renovate the house."

"And the cousin is Gary Winters, owner of Winters Construction?" Horatio wanted to make sure he understood.

Jessica nodded. "Yes."

Turning to Stevie, Horatio asked. "You've mentioned a lab several times, Stevie. Did your Dad do what Aunt Calleigh and I do, Crime Scene Investigations?"

The youngster shook his head. "No, H. He was the CEO of a gem lab." When that got a puzzled look from the older man, Stevie explained. "My Dad's company is a lab where some gem stones are made. There are some gems in the world, like Rubies, Emeralds, and yes, Diamonds, that can be 'manufactured' in the lab. They are exactly the same as the gems pulled from the mines in weight, texture, brilliance, everything, but they cost a fraction of what a mined gem would go for, and of course, in the case of Diamonds, would not have the 'conflict' aspect to tarnish them, either."

The red head nodded, slowly, as his mind supplied the last case they worked on with the 'simulated' gems, and all of the emotional storms that came with it - the Joey Williams kidnapping and the death of Tim Speedle.

As a supervisor, the death of a subordinate was never an easy thing to swallow, and Horatio knew this. What he also knew, was what made him cherish the team that much more, and that was the fact that the small team had worked so well together for so long, that they had come to see each other as family. Horatio also knew that Eric and Alexx were the only two on the team with stable family histories and presents, and that for himself, Calleigh, and Speed, too, that the team had become a surrogate family, so that when the younger, brunette man died in his arms that fateful day at McCauley's Jewelers, it only served to be that much more painful and heart wrenchingly eerie.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Stevie quickly realized that Horatio had gone back to remember something, and gently moved his hand down the man's arm. "Hey, H. You still with us?" Stevie looked up at Jessica, confused.

She shook her head at him and put her finger to her lips. Jessica then walked around the bed, to stand beside the red head as she put her hand on his shoulder, shaking it gently. "Horatio?"

Before Jessica had another chance to attempt to bring Horatio back to the here and now, Alexx walked back into the room. "Ok, Horatio……." She noticed everyone at the head of the bed.

Suddenly, the red head jumped up from the bed. "Speed." He mumbled just loud enough for Alexx to hear as he walked by. She looked over at Stevie and Jessica, as she walked toward them. "What happened?" She whispered.

"It's my fault, Dr Alexx." Stevie admitted, slowly. "We were talking about what my Dad's company does. I was explaining how some gems can be made in the lab. The next thing we know, he's remembering Det Speed."

"Oh, Honey. It's not anyone's fault." Alexx explained. "Det Speed died in what felt like a routine investigation, Stevie. It happened very unexpectedly when Horatio and Speed went to a jewelers to follow up on a lead. There was a shootout, and Speed died in Horatio's arms. It doesn't take much for him to remember back to that day. You do understand, don't you sweetie? It wasn't anything you did, ok?"

The boy nodded. "Sure, I understand, Dr Alexx, but I'm still sorry that we made him remember that day."

"I know you are, Sweetheart. That's what makes you such a good friend. Horatio needs all the friends he can get, you know that, right?"

The youngster nodded with a smile. "Sure. I get it, Dr Alexx."

Alexx quirked a grin at the boy. "I knew you would." She slowly walked over towards the red head. "Horatio?" She asked softly, gently, not wanting to startle him. When he still does not respond, she inched closer to him, still attempting to gently bring him back to the here and now. The red head continued to stand there, with his hands on his hips, staring out the window, looking down towards the street. Alexx reached out to him, and gently put her hand on his arm. When he didn't flinch from her touch, Alexx walked around him, to stand in front of him, to purposefully block his view of whatever he was seeing. She put her hands just above his on his torso, and gently shook him. "Horatio?"

He suddenly blinked back, and closed his eyes for a minute. When they opened again, Alexx was relieved to see them instantly focus on her. "Hey, Alexx….."

"Don't try that with me mister." She interrupted him before he could put any kind of wall up. "Are you ok, Horatio?"

He sighed as he dropped his hands. He also attempted to move away from her, but she tightened her grip and would not let him move. "Yeah, I'm fine, Alexx. Just a little unwanted trip down memory lane, that's all." His voice betrayed how 'fine' he really was.

"I gathered." She told him, attempting to gentle her own voice, knowing how quickly the red head's walls would come up with just the wrong word. "I think Calleigh might have told him something about what happened to Speed. Stevie's pretty worried about you, you know?"

"I know. I'm sorry to have worried everyone." He told her. "Give me just a minute and we'll get out of here. Ok?"

She nodded.

After another minute or so, Horatio finally turned and walked back over towards the bed. "Sorry about that, partner."

"That's ok, H. I'm sorry if I made you remember something bad."

Horatio resumed his place, sitting on the bed. "Not something bad, partner, just something unfortunate, that I'm not sure could have been prevented, that's all."

Stevie looked up at his mom, briefly, then turned back to the red head. "Yeah, Aunt Calleigh told us about what happened with Det Speed. She was pretty upset by it too. She kept saying that if she'd just made sure that he was cleaning his gun that maybe he'd still be alive."

Horatio nodded. "You know, Stevie. There are going to be some things that happen in your life, like the accident with you and your Dad, where you're going to look back and say 'if I had done anything differently' and wonder if the outcome would have been different. That's the way it is with what happened to Speed. If we had just made sure that he was cleaning his gun, would that have changed what happened? Unfortunately, just like with every other time you're going to ask this question, you, and I, will never know and there's no time machine to take us back to see what would happen."

The youngster, in an attempt to lighten the mood, nodded, as he replied. "And no Enterprise to slingshot back in time, either."

The adults laughed."Uh, no." Horatio agreed. He looked up at Jessica. "Did you want to stay a bit longer, Jessica. I can come back to get you?"

Now it was her turn to look confused. "You're not going straight home, Horatio? You're the one who needs to hit the sack a bit earlier than normal tonight."

He and Alexx chuckled at that, and he took a minute to steal a look at his M.E. that told her not to say a thing. "Don't worry about me, Jessica. I actually have to go back to the lab for a couple of things, but I will admit that I've conditioned myself over the years to function on very little sleep, so I'll be fine. I can come back to get you if you need me to?" He offered.

"Only if your sure I'm not imposing?" She asked. When he nodded, she agreed. "Ok. Yes, please, come back and get me."

"Not a problem." He told her, then he turned to the youngster in the bed. "Stevie, do you mind if Dr Alexx comes to watch the cleansing procedure in the morning?" Before the boy could put voice to the puzzlement on his face, Horatio explained. "I just want to make sure that everything is ok and that we're not making anything worse, ok?"

Stevie looked up at Alexx. "Are you sure you want to, Dr Alexx? I'm going to look worse than I do now because Dr Fitz said that he missed some glass and they're going to have to cut on me to remove the rest of it. Then they're going to put me in a saline bath to cleanse everything and then they're going to cover them with liquid bandages. I may freak out, but hopefully with H there, the freaking will be held down to a minimum."

Horatio chuckled. "I'm not going to let you go in by yourself, Stevie. I'll be there to back you up, just like a partner is supposed to."

"Actually, Stevie, you don't look that bad, Honey." Alexx added. "I'll try my best to keep the extra incisions down to a minimum, but you shouldn't look that much worse." She explained.

The youngster looked up at her skeptically. "You're sure, Dr Alexx?"She nodded. "I'm positive, baby."

"I guess I'll see you in the morning then. It's actually kind of early, Dr Alexx. I think Dr Fitz wanted to get started about 7 or 8 in the morning, once the Nurse's shift change is completed."

"That's fine. See you in the morning."

Stevie looked over at Horatio and got a nod. "Ok. We'll see you then."

Horatio stood and walked with Alexx to the door. He stopped there and turned back. "I'll be back to get you in a couple of hours, Jessica. If that's ok?"

"That's fine, Horatio. We'll see you then."

Horatio and Alexx walked out the door and down the hall, to the elevator.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

They made their way back to the Hummer. As Horatio drove them back to the lab, he could feel Alexx's eyes on him from the other side of the cab. When he stopped for a red light, he looked over at her. "What, Alexx?"

She cracked a grin. "That little boy certainly is taken with you."

The light turned green and Horatio continued to drive back to the lab. He blushed and looked down briefly before moving the Hummer forward. "Yeah, well. He's a phenomenal young man."

She chuckled at him, shaking her head. "And it's got nothing to do with you. Is that what you're telling me?"

He turned to her, puzzled. "What do you mean, Alexx?"

"Don't you dare, Horatio Caine. You're a reasonably intelligent, young man yourself. You're going to sit there and tell me you don't notice the effect you have on other people."

When he stopped again for another red light, he turned in his seat to regard her. "No, I'm not going to say that, Alexx, but I am going to say that you're reading more into it than it deserves. I don't have the effect on people that you seem to think I do."

She shook her head at him in frustration. "So, the fact that Stevie's little voice dropped into his range of the 'Danger Zone' is what? A coincidence? He had only done it when he noticed what affect it had when you used it." She pointed out to him.

His voice took an edge to it as he turned back to regard her again. "Alexx, don't."

She chuckled. "Don't try that with me, mister. I've had a 'Danger Zone' shot. I'm immune."

He chuckled now. "The 'Danger Zone'?"

She looked over at him, puzzled now. "You mean to tell me you've never heard what the others at the lab say about your voice when you know that a suspect is lying to you?"

He shook his head at her. "No. What do they say?"

"Well, both Cooper and Valera swear that when you drop your voice, it causes the temperature in the room to drop just about 10 to 20 degrees, and that when it does, you're about two steps from loosing that legendary iron grip on your control."

He turned to her, his eyebrow arched. "'Legendary'?"

Alexx smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, 'legendary'. Horatio, I know you're not going to believe this, but you seem to have this 'knack' for bringing the best out of people. For whatever reason, you feel that you can demand 110 percent from yourself, but you can excuse almost anything from anyone else. Like with Stevie. There he was, he'd just had a horrible nightmare, and was quite upset by it, and when he accused himself of being a 'wuss', you never said a word."

Horatio cracked a grin. "Alexx, you and I have talked before, about my life when I was a kid, and my Dad. I've pushed myself to be perfect, because up until I was 17, I had to be, then when it was just Ray and I, I had to be, there was no room for anything else. Not when we were under the microscope like we, like I, was. I can give other people the luxury of being less than perfect, of accepting them as they are, because I never had the opportunity when I was a kid, and it was the one thing I, as a good Catholic boy, would have sold my soul to the Devil for. When I told Stevie that the 'Danger Zone' as you called it would not work all the time, he said that besides seeing me do it, that a character on tv had done it, as well as his father. He wasn't emulating just me, but he was emulating something that he had seen the three of us do that he knew would work. That's all. Don't make it into something that it isn't. As far as the 'Danger Zone' is concerned, this is just between you and I, but yes, I was aware of that little story. I was not aware that the temperature dropped quite that far, but I knew that it worked. I just didn't know why. I am glad to hear that it still works. I always feel it when the voice drops and when the steel plating goes up, and there's not thing one I can do to stop it. Most of the time, I am, in fact, so close to loosing it, that I don't particularly care whether it happens or not, so I do allow it to happen, and it does, normally, work." He pulled the Hummer into the parking lot at the lab, and parked in his space.

As he turned the engine off, and pulled the key, Alexx turned to him. "I've been meaning to ask you, have you mentioned that to any of the others?"

Horatio raised his eyebrows to her. "You mean my childhood?" When she nodded, he shook his head at her. "No, but I know that I will have to, eventually."

She sighed. "Horatio, I know why you're hesitant to tell them, but, you're right, you really should tell them." She climbed out of the Hummer to land at her feet in front of him.

Now it was his turn to sigh. "I know, Alexx. How do I tell them, though. It's going to change everything. What do I say? 'Oh, yeah, gang, I've been meaning to tell you, but my father beat me senseless when I was a kid until I killed him when I was 17'? That's going to go over real well. I'll be out of a job so fast it'll make your head spin. My otherwise useless reputation will go up in smoke." He looked down at her.

"You don't really think they would react like that, do you?" She looked up at him, surprised.

He sighed, putting his hands on his hips. "I don't guess so, I just know it will change my relationship with each of you. I like having all of you around me. I'm sorry, buy maybe I'm not ready to give it up just yet." He looked down at her.

She put her hands just above his. "Try to give them a little bit of credit, Horatio. I don't think it will be that bad. You do realize that, if you want to pursue your feelings for Calleigh, you will at least have to tell her sooner rather than later."

He cracked a grin at his M.E. "Yes, mother, I do. Stevie didn't know we were discussing her, but the other day we were talking about relationships, and he gave me some advise on that subject that I'm willing to pursue."

Alexx laughed as she wrapped her arms around the red head's torso. "Stevie did?"

Horatio nodded.

She hugged the red head. "Well, well, well. The little guy's full of surprises." She looked back up at Horatio. "I don't know what he said to you, but please, consider it."

"I will." He hugged her back. "Let's go see what's going on in there."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

They walked in to the lab and Horatio turned to Alexx. "Go round up the boys and I'll find Calleigh. Let's meet up in the layout room, ok?"

She nodded. When she turned to walk away, Horatio called after her."Alexx, remember this is about Stevie, ok?"

"I know, sugar. Don't worry."

Horatio watched her go with a grin.

They met back up in the layout room. Horatio looked around at the team, and asked. "Ok, what have we got?"

"Well, H. No surprise here, but we did find Kevin Miller's prints all over the office at the Events Center. But, since he was supposedly off the day of the robbery, and we can't pinpoint when the prints were made, unfortunately, we're stalled from that angle. The office is supposedly cleaned every night, but we have been unable to talk to the cleaning lady from the Janitorial service to confirm that. We're waiting to talk to her." Ryan was first.

Eric went next. "The prints from the Chop Shop do put Daniel Tanaka in the van, and the photos from Auto Theft's surveillance puts Miller also in the van, delivering it to the Chop Shop. Unfortunately, it was completely stripped inside, leaving only the two front seats and the steering wheel, and of course, the engine."

Horatio looked over at Calleigh. She had this puzzled look on her face, before realizing that Horatio was waiting. "I've just gotten the bullets from the shootout at the Chop Shop and I've started my analysis." She took a breath for a minute, gathering her thoughts. "As far as the Events Center robbery is concerned, IBIS accounted for every one of the guns. One of them does, in fact, belong to Miller. According to Det Tripp, Miller has no criminal record, none of them do, but he's running down the three other owners as we speak."

"Good work, gang. I have a sneaking suspicion that this is going to get complicated fairly quickly, and it is all going to center around a certain 12 year old boy." Horatio started laying out the pictures from the construction site visit. "I took these pictures the other night at the location where Stevie's house is supposedly being renovated." He leaned in and pointed to one of the men in one of the pictures. "Stevie has identified this man as his physical therapist, Dennis." Horatio points to the other man in the picture. "Jessica has identified this man as Gary Winters, the owner of Winters Construction, whom she was supposedly introduced to by Stanley Miller, a friend of her late husband's. Where these two men know each other, and how do they both know Kevin Miller is part of the mystery we need to solve."Stevie's Doctor is a man by the name of Ron Fitzgerald. I also would like him checked out as well. He was not assigned to Stevie's case by the hospital, but 'volunteered' his services to Jessica, after having been introduced to her by…….."

"Stanley Miller." Calleigh finished for him. She thought back for just a minute then looked up, back over to Horatio. "I think I remember being introduced to him as well, Horatio. I don't remember what it was about him, but something about him did not sit right with me at the time. You're suspecting a conspiracy of some kind, aren't you?"

Horatio nodded slowly. "Unfortunately, I think I am. Nobody, and I mean absolutely nobody has luck as bad as Stevie has had, especially not a 12 year old boy, not without some help, from somewhere, pushing things along." He looked up and over to Alexx. "That leaves you, Alexx."

She grinned at him. "The best for last, Honey?" His head ducked and he nodded to her. "Ryan, Honey would you please go get one of the 'George's for me, please?"

"Sure, Alexx." The younger man left the room, then came back with one of the synthetic Human dummies they worked with when reconstructing crimes. "Here you go, Alexx."

"Thank you." She took the dummy from him. "Hello, George."

Horatio interrupted her for just a minute. "Mr Wolfe, even though you have not met Stevie, as of yet, I still would like you to take in this part of the briefing. I don't know when you will, but eventually you will meet him, and I want you to be prepared."

"No problem, H." The younger man agreed.

Horatio nodded. "Thank you. Go ahead, Alexx."

"Thank you, Sugar." She turned to address the room. "Ryan, this part is primarily for you. Stevie is 12 yrs old with brown hair and red high lights and hazel eyes. Muscle development gave him, at one time, the appearance of being a bit older, but that development has begun to deteriorate, due to the fact that Doctor Fitzgerald will not allow him back into a pool or a gym until the infection from the robbery is healed. Stevie is a T-12 to L-1 paraplegic, which is the 12th Thoracic to first Lumbar vertebrae . That happened 6 months ago when he and his father were in that accident. What that designation means is that……." She turned to the dummy. "Turn around, George, please." She turned him so that his back was to her. "What that means is that from roughly here, up." She pointed to the small of the dummy's back. "Feeling, both internally and externally are all running normally, but from here to here." She pointed to the top of the dummy's thigh, just below his rear end. "Feeling is sporadic. Meaning he can have feeling in one place, but move even a hair in any direction and feeling could either be completely gone or significantly muted. Stevie describes it as feeling things through either a sweater or sweats. His chart does indicate that they have been able to get him fairly easily on a daily bladder and bowel control program, however, there's apparently not enough feeling to allow for anything 'complicated', like sex. From here down, feeling or control is nonexistent." She could tell they're thinking over what she has told them, especially Horatio.

"Alexx," He began, slowly. "What is so different, or 'complicated' about sex versus something normal, like going to the bathroom?"

"Think about it, Horatio." She could tell he really was. "Doing something relatively normal, like going to the bathroom is easy. When the bladder is full, it sends a signal to the brain that says 'I'm full. Empty me.' That is something that can be anticipated and planned for. It will only hold so much. That's a constant. Sex, on the other hand is just as much about the emotional aspects, and the physical stimulus, as it is the physiological reactions of the body. When the body does not respond to physical stimulus, what's the first thing you think of?"

Horatio is thinking about it. "Whether or not I've done something wrong and what can I do to bring her back to the moment where she's feeling on top of the world again."

She smiled and nodded at him. "Exactly. Physical enjoyment, the body's physiological reaction to that stimulus, the expression of that enjoyment is what moves the act. The positive emotional response of knowing that what you are doing is making that person feel something positive is what continues the act. When the spinal cord is severed, and physical response can not possibly take place, alternate means of that expression need to be found. I'm sure that when Stevie reaches that age, he's going to have quite a few willing volunteers to help with that."

They chuckled at that. "I don't know about that, Alexx." Horatio remarked. "To hear Stevie tell it, he's Frankenstein's monster. He doesn't think he stands a snowball's chance in Miami of getting, much less keeping, a girlfriend."

She quirked a grin. "If that personality stays in place, trust me, it's going to be…….what's the expression? A 'babe magnet'?"

All three guys laughed at that. "That's the expression all right." Horatio told her. He was still thinking about something though. "Alexx, will the scaring from the accident the other night stay blaringly obvious or will it fade out?"

Alexx arched her eyebrow at him, knowing what was really prompting the question. "Unfortunately, they will be blaringly obvious, at least for the foreseeable future, Horatio, you know that. Over time, though, they should fade to almost non existent. The degree of trauma to the body tends to dictate the level of scaring that occurs. Years from now, he may still feel like they're obvious, and he may still feel a bit self conscious about them. He may need to explain to any potential girlfriend what happened, and hopefully, it won't create too many problems for him, but if the girl is 'the right one', she's going to understand."

Horatio quirked a grin. "That's, basically, what I told him." He started to head for the door, but Alexx's voice stopped him.

"One other thing I need to tell you about, Horatio."

That stopped the red head. "What is it, Alexx?" He asked, noticing her tone of voice."The one thing I think Fitzgerald has been keeping from you. I don't think it's as serious as you're imagining, but it's still serious enough."

All of Horatio's instincts stood up at that. "Talk to me, Alexx."

"Come over here and have a seat." When he reluctantly did as she asked, she continued. "It's his white blood cell count, Honey. It's dangerously low. The infection took off at such a high rate of speed that it took over everything. His little body just had no reserves left to fight it off with. If he had had any reserves left at all, I don't think the infection would be causing the kinds of problems that it is, but he had nothing to fight it with." Alexx explained. She can see Horatio's mind working it through.

He looked over at Calleigh and noticed she was thinking the same thing he was. "Could it kill him, Alexx?"

Alexx sighed deeply and folded her arms in front of her. She thought for a moment, then explained. "The cleansing that we're doing tomorrow should slow the drop in his WBC count. If it doesn't work, for some reason, and his WBC count continues to go down, there is a danger level that would be reached first. His strength would continue to go down and he would become weaker, until ultimately he would loose consciousness and would slip into a coma. If it continues so completely out of control, yes, ultimately it could kill him, but Stevie's got his Mom, you, Horatio, his Aunt Calleigh, and Eric. He will have Ryan and I dare say me, as a back up doctor, all in his corner. Although Dr Fitzgerald may give off the impression that he's not completely competent, for the most part, though, he really does know what he's doing, and I prefer to believe that Stevie will be just fine."

Horatio looked over at Calleigh and nodded, then turned back to his M.E. "As long as we have you as the back up, Alexx, I tend to agree. We're going to pull him out of this, we have to." Horatio sat there, thinking for a minute, then turned back to his M.E. "What are your impressions of Fitzgerald, Alexx?"

The African American woman stood there, thinking, trying to find the words. "He's competent enough, Horatio, but, I think he just lacks the heart. I don't know about any of his other patients, but that's all Stevie is to him, a patient."

"In other words, he has no compassion for his patients, or any understanding of what they're going through." Horatio added.

"Exactly." Alexx agreed. "And for a Physiatrist, that's disastrous. There HAS to be some level of understanding for EXACTLY how the paralysis is affecting the victim's life, to know, not only how far to take the therapy, but also to know if the therapy is working. You can't know if you're succeeding, if you don't have anything to base the results on."

"It also helps to listen to the patients and to not accuse them of lying when they try to tell you that their therapist is abusive, too." Horatio replied. "What do you think the chances are of him being part of this conspiracy, Alexx?" He asked her.

She arched her eyebrow at him. "You're the CSI, Horatio. You tell me, Honey."Horatio chuckled, as he stood up and headed for the door. "You are just no fun. Thank you, Alexx. Good work, all of you. If you need me, I'll be in my office."


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you all very much for the kind words in your reviews. I hope that you're still enjoying the story. Starting Monday of next week, my updates may be in the afternoons (my time). I'm changing my hours at work, and I don't know if I'll have the time early in the day to update. Just thought I'd let you know.

Chapter 24

Later, Alexx and Calleigh were walking towards the reception area and noticed that the light was still on in his office.

"Shouldn't he have already been headed home?" Alexx asked.

Calleigh nodded. "Especially since he needs to be at the hospital so early in the morning."

Alexx chuckled. "That Stevie is a real character. He certainly is quite taken with Horatio."

Calleigh chuckled as well. "Yes he is, on both counts." She looked back up, towards Horatio's office. "I think we may need to pull him out of there, just to make sure he does go home."They made their way up the stairs. Calleigh put one hand on the knob, and turned it, then with the other hand, knocked lightly on the door. "Knock, knock. Can we come in, Handsome?" She looked in to the office.

Horatio, after having removed his coat, was sitting in his chair behind his desk, but had turned the chair, so that he could look out the window. He apparently was in pretty deep thought, though, because, normally, if he was just thinking, he would have at least invited his visitors in.

Calleigh and Alexx both took this in, and walked into the office. Alexx stayed on the 'visitors' side of the desk, as Calleigh walked around it. She noticed that Horatio was, in fact, in deep thought about something. Hoping to not startle him too badly back to himself, she put her hand on his shoulder, then drew it down his arm, to his hand. "Horatio." She called to him, gently, as she took his hand in her own.

Horatio quickly blinked back to the here and now. "Oh, hey, Calleigh."

She quirked a grin at him. "Hey yourself. You ok?"

He looked up at her with what he hoped was a positive smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"I could tell." She teased him. "What about?"

He let her question hang in the air for just a minute, then turned to look up at her. "Is that the only thing that defines me, as a man?" He asked her as he looked down, into his lap.

Calleigh looked back up and over at Alexx, whose eyes had grown wide. Calleigh turned back to Horatio and realized that he had not noticed that Alexx was also in the room. Alexx turned and quietly went back out to wait for them at the bottom of the stairs. Calleigh took both of his hands into hers and pulled him up, out of his chair. "Those are some pretty deep thoughts, Handsome." She teased. She stepped into his personal space, and wrapped her arms around him, giving him a hug. She released the hug and looked up at him. "For most men, I would say that yes, that's all that defines them, as men. You, however are one in a million, Horatio. The fact that you're even thinking about it at all tells me that you don't have to worry." She tapped him on the chest, over his heart. "That is the first aspect of your definition. You have to be one of the most compassionate men I've ever met. You're empathy for the victims and their families is a very well known aspect of your personality. You can also be one of the most stubborn men I've ever met. When we're on a case and you know the answer, who did it and how, you're like a bull dog until you get to that answer."

She then reached up and tapped him, gently, on the temple. "This would come in second. Your mind, sometimes, can be like a steel trap. You seem to be able to remember the most minute, otherwise innocent thing and be able to put it into place in the puzzle of a case. You amaze all of us, even those of us that work closely with you. That mind is simply amazing." She chuckled at his impending embarrassment. His head ducked, just as it normally does when he's not completely comfortable with a subject. Calleigh moved to tighten her hold on him, just below his belt. She tugged slightly on his pants, to move his hips. "This, comes in a very distant third place. It does help to define you, but it doesn't define you nearly as much as it defines most other men."

He cracked that embarrassed, boyish grin. "I'm glad you think so." Horatio replied softly, under his breath, as he grabbed his jacket, and put it on as he walked with her out of his office, stopping long enough to lock the door behind himself.

"What brought that on?" Calleigh asked him as she moved down the stairs.

"Nothing." Horatio replied as he followed her. "Just something that Stevie and I were talking about, that's all."

They met up with Alexx at the bottom of the stairs.

The three of them, together, walked over to the elevator. As he pressed the 'call' button, he looked over at her, tilting his head. "Are you busy tomorrow night, Calleigh?"

Alexx traded a look with Calleigh, before the blonde turned back to him. "No, I have no plans for the night. Why?"

He looked down for just a moment, then looked back up to her, tilting his head, his shy grin came back as he shifted again. "Well, I was hoping you might be willing to have dinner with me…at my house. A casual dinner and movie night?"

She smiled widely. "I think that can be arranged, Handsome. On one condition?"

"Ok?"

She chuckled. "That I get to pick the movie?" She asked hopefully.

Just then, the door to the elevator opened, with a 'ding'. They stepped inside.

He grinned. "I'm game."

Her eyes went wide. "That's mighty brave of you there, Handsome. Suppose I choose a 'chick-flick'?"

He chuckled. "That might be a chance I'm willing to take, Beautiful. All I ask is no horror movies."

She wrapped her arms around him, under his jacket, as she gave him a hug. "You've got yourself a deal."

"What are you still doing here, Horatio? Shouldn't you already be home and in bed?" Alexx's voice cut the air.

He looked down at Calleigh and they shared laughter as he looked over at the African American woman. "I'm going, Mom." He told her teasingly. He looked down at Calleigh. "I'm going to take Jessica home, then I'm going to get something to eat, and head home myself."

The elevator car stopped, with a 'ding', and the door opened. They stepped out, and made their way to the front doors.

Calleigh gave him another quick hug. "That sounds like a plan. We'll see you in the morning."

Horatio looked over at Alexx. "Did you need me to come get you, Alexx?"

"No, thank you, Honey." She replied. "Now that I know where his room is, I can meet you there."

"That works for me, Alexx." He looked back at the blonde in front of him. "I'll pick up Jessica in the morning as well and we'll meet up with you in Stevie's room."

"Sounds good, Handsome." Calleigh told him. She stood back from him as she also added. "Please be careful and we'll see you tomorrow."

They walk out the front doors of the lab. "Yup." Horatio acknowledged. He angled his way over towards his car as he agreed. "See you ladies tomorrow."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Horatio made his way to the hospital and up to Stevie's floor. As he walked into the boy's room, he asked Mom. "You ready to go, Jessica?"

"I will be, in just a second." She told the man as she stood up.

Horatio walked over to the bed.

"Thanks for coming to get her, H." Stevie looked up at him.

"It's not a problem, Stevie." He reassured the boy, quickly.

Jessica came out of the bathroom. "I believe I'm ready, Horatio." She picked up her jacket and her purse, and came over to the bed. "We'll see you in the morning." She leaned in and kissed Stevie on the forehead. "Please try not to give the nurses too much of a hard time."

"Aww, Mom." The boy sounded every bit of the 12 yrs old that he was. "That's no fun." Once the laughter died down, Stevie added in a more serious tone. "Besides, I'm not sure I've got that much energy."

Horatio and Jessica shared a look, then he turned back to Stevie. "That's going to change, Partner." He reminded the youngster.

"I know, H. It's just that this is so…..frustrating. Not being able to go work out, or to school, or anything. I'm just laying here and it hurts."

"I can get you a pain killer, a Tylenol, from the nurse. It will help you sleep and it isn't addictive." Horatio explained.

The boy looked up, confused. "You're sure? I won't get hooked?"

"I'm positive, Stevie. Please, let me get you some relief. You don't have to be in pain." Horatio urged the boy.

"That's probably a good idea, since I really want to be awake tomorrow. Ok, H, yes, please." Stevie agreed.

Horatio and Jessica shared a surprised look, then when Jessica grinned and winked at him, Horatio looked down, trying not to blush, then turned and walked out the door and down to the nurse's station.

Dr. Fitzgerald stood at the nurse's station with one of the nurses, a brunette young woman. They both turned to acknowledge his approach. "Lt Caine, are you still here? Shouldn't you be headed home?"

Horatio cracked a grin. "It's only more like 'again', Dr Fitzgerald. I came back to pick up Jessica, to take her home." When the Doctor looked puzzled, Horatio continued. "Right this instant, I'm actually on an errand of mercy. Stevie has asked for a Tylenol."

The doctor's eyes grew wide. "He's what?" His surprise was complete. After a moment, once the shock had settled, he replied. "Ok." Fitzgerald turned to the brunette young woman beside him. "Go take a 500 mg Tylenol pill in to him, please, Tina?"

"Yes, sir, Dr Fitzgerald." She turned to walk away, but Horatio's voice stopped her."When you go in, you may need to reassure him that he won't get addicted to it, but he is willing to take it." Horatio advised.

"Thanks for the warning, Lt." Fitzgerald nodded to the nurse. As she walked away, he turned back to Horatio, as he reached for Stevie's chart. "What I'd really like to know is what magic power do you have that got him to ask for one?"

Horatio looked down just for a minute. When he looked back up, it was with that shy, embarrassed grin. "I only used common sense, a bit of logic, and a lot of reassurance that he wouldn't get hooked on it, that's all."

"Uh, huh." Fitzgerald commented, with a grin, as he wrote the dosage in the boy's chart and the time. "We've got it handled, Lt. Go home. Try to get some sleep. You've got a long day tomorrow."

"I'm ok, Dr. I'm taking Jessica home, and picking her up in the morning." Horatio admitted. "One question I had for you, Doctor, is how quickly after the cleansing do you think he'll be able to get back into the pool?"

"Probably not for a couple of days. We'll have to see if there are any problems with the cleansing solution." Fitzgerald also added. "He may need more than one treatment, as well. We'll just have to see what sort of reaction he does have, if any."

Horatio nodded thoughtfully, then looked back up at the doctor. "Dr Woods was explaining earlier that his white blood cell count is going down, fairly quickly. How quickly will we know if the treatment works and his WBC count begins to go back up?"

Fitzgerald also nodded. "His WBC count should level off for maybe a day, two at the very most, but then, when the treatment starts to work, it should start to go back up, but that's why we may need to do more than one."

"Ok." Horatio replied thoughtfully. "Thank you, Dr Fitzgerald. We'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll be here." Fitzgerald replied with a grin.

Horatio chuckled as he turned and walked back towards Stevie's room. He walked in to see Stevie take the pill cup from Tina, the Nurse, then also took the cup of water she offered and swallowed the pill. Stevie turned to Tina and showed her that he had, in fact, swallowed the pill. "Thanks, Tina."

"You're welcome, Stevie." She took the cup from him and set it on the table beside her, then turned back to the boy. "You should relax now, and get sleepy. Just go with it, ok?"

"Ok, Tina."

She turned and went toward the door.

"Thank you, Tina." Horatio added softly.

"You're both welcome. We'll see you in the morning, Lt."

"Yes, ma'am." He replied with a grin. He moved back into the room, and up to the bed, as Tina left the room and went back to the Nurse's Station. "I'm taking Mom home, Stevie. I'll also pick her up in the morning. Is there anything special we could bring you?"

The youngster thought about it. "Other than my swim trunks, probably just some 'hospital' and 'gym' clothes, my laptop, maybe a couple of DVD's, and my drawing materials. Anything else that Mom might think I would want."

"Ok. We'll see what we can do." Horatio told him.

"Ok, H. Thanks a lot."


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Horatio took Jessica out to his car. As they drove towards the apartment, Horatio told her. "Stevie had a small list of things that he said he was going to want up at the hospital. I was going to come by in the morning to pick you up anyway, so I can help with it, if you need me to, Jessica."

She smiled over at the man. "No, thank you, Horatio. I have a feeling I know what Stevie was asking for. You probably will be able to help with some of his clothes, at that age, they don't always like their mothers going through their things."

Horatio grinned. "This is true."

Jessica looked down at her lap for a moment, then back up at him. "I have been meaning to invite you up to the apartment. If you have time, tonight, I would like to show you where it is?"

When Horatio stopped for a red light, he turned to look over at her. "I don't want to stay too late, but at least a minute or two. You will be having just as long of a day as I'll be having."

She grinned at him. "It may be as long as yours, but it won't be nearly as active as your day will be." He returned her grin as he pulled into the parking lot. He helped her out of the car and she led him to the front door to the apartment building.

She noticed that the red head was looking around, taking in his surroundings.

He followed her inside and they stopped at the hotel style front desk. Horatio watched as she greeted the man behind the desk and noticed that this man wore a security uniform.

"Good evening, Mrs Douglas. How's Stevie? Any better?" He asked.

"A little." Jessica told him. "Dr Fitzgerald is hoping to kill the infection tomorrow with a cleansing scrub and bath."

"Oh, no." The officer groans. "That poor kid. You guys have had such rotten luck recently, I sure do hope it turns around."

"No one hopes that more than I do, Officer Lincoln." She turned to indicate the red head beside her. "This is Lt Horatio Caine. I want him to have access to come and go as he pleases. How do we do that?"

The younger man looked directly at him and nodded his respects to Horatio. "Lt, if I may please see some ID, we can get this squared away for you." He held his hand out.

Horatio unclipped both his badge and dept issued ID from his belt and passed them to the younger man.

"Thank you, sir." The officer looked from the red head's ID up to the man himself and looked the red head over from head to toe. "Your Driver's License, as well, please, Lt." He held his hand out again.

Horatio's eyebrow rose in confusion, but still pulled his wallet out of his pocket and handed his D.L. to the officer.

"Thank you, Lt." The officer turned away and walked away for just a moment. When he returned, he gave the badge and both ID's back to Horatio. He then put two sheets of paper on the counter and pushed them towards the red head. "Please sign both of these for me, Lt."

Horatio's eyebrow arched but he signed both wordlessly. He then pushed the papers back across the counter to the officer.

"Thank you, again, sir." He took the papers from Horatio and set them aside. He turned to the key rack and pulled Jessica's keys and offered them to her. "Here you go, Mrs Douglas."

She took the keys from him. "Thank you, Officer Lincoln. Have a good night."Horatio followed Jessica to the elevator. As the door closed behind them, Jessica noticed that the red head continued to look around, taking in his surroundings. She saw that he noticed the size of the elevator and it's doors, as well as the width of the door to the apartment.

"Now I think I understand." He thought out loud.

Jessica's eyebrow arched. "What?"

Horatio looked down for just a minute. When he looked back up at her, he quirked that embarrassed grin. "Calleigh was trying to explain to me about why some aspects of your house would have to be renovated. I wasn't completely understanding why the house would have to be renovated, however I'm starting to understand." He admitted.

She nodded with a smile. "When they first told me that Stevie would be having to make this kind of adjustment to his life, I wasn't entirely understanding why either, until they took me through their rehab apartment, and here."

She opened the door and invited him in. Horatio came in and closed the door behind himself.

Jessica set her things on the couch, then turned to regard him. "Please come in, Horatio, and have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Coffee, if it's not too much trouble." He told her. He watched as she went into the kitchen and prepared the coffee. He took a moment to notice how the kitchen was laid out and designed.Jessica tuned and noticed him standing there. "Would you like to see the rest of the apartment?"

"Yes, please." He moved back to the table and took off his jacket and draped it over the back of his chair. He turned back to her with a smile. "After you, ma'am."

Jessica chuckled softly. "Thank you, sir. If you'd please follow me." She walked back over to the front door. "This is the living room, going into the dining room and the kitchen." She also noticed that Horatio took in the layout of the rooms. "The reason everything is spread out is to allow the wheelchair to move around the room. Any tables or desks have to be lowered so that the wheelchair can fit under them."

Horatio looked back toward the kitchen, then turned to Jessica. "What about with a stove and an oven?" He looked confused. "The stove can be lowered, but what about the oven? It can only be lowered so far."

Jessica laughed. "That is true. Yes, the oven can only be lowered so far but also, instead of opening down, the door opens either to the right or the left. " She watched him nod, the wheels in the man's mind still turning like crazy. She motioned toward the fridge. "The same thing with the refrigerator. It can only be lowered so far. The fridge and the freezer are adjusted so that both are easily accessed by a person in a wheelchair." She pulled the bottom drawer open to show the freezer. Jessica pushed the drawer closed as Horatio opened the door of the refrigerator.

"Ok." He replied slowly, still taking everything in. "The shelves are lower too, aren't they?" He looked over at Jessica, puzzled.

She nodded. "Yes, they are."

Horatio continued to look at the refrigerator for another moment, then closed the door. He turned back to Jessica with a grin. "Lead on McDuff."

Jessica returned his grin, then turned and headed toward the hall. "Another thing I wanted to show you, Horatio, besides the doors, is the hallway. The 'normal' hallway is just barely wide enough to accept a wheelchair, much less to allow that chair to go up or down the hall."

"I noticed." He agreed. "I take it that doorways are the same?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes, doors are the same way. They need to be wider than normal for a wheelchair to be able to get through." She walked into the first room on the right. "This is Stevie's room." She explained unnecessarily.

Horatio nodded. "A hospital bed?" As he looked around.

Jessica also nodded. "Yes. It's one of the very few obvious concessions made to the paralysis. Even here, I've still tried to make his room as much 'him' as possible, given the circumstances."

Horatio turned in the center of the room, putting his hands on his hips. He then looked back over at Jessica. "You've done a remarkable job."

"Thank you." Jessica replied, as she walked over to the closet and opened it. "This is one of the less than obvious concessions to the paralysis. There are several different ways that the closet can be designed. They chose to do this one this way. This bar here….." She picked up the bar from beside the door of the closet. "You use the hook here and lift the bar here……" Jessica demonstrates.

"As you can see, it brings the clothes down so that the person in the chair can get their own clothes and put their own clothes away, which, in theory, is supposed to aide in their feeling of Independence."

Horatio moves to help her push the bar back up, but Jessica was able to get it back up with no problem. "So I see." He replied.

Jessica put the bar back in the closet, then closed the door. As she walked toward the bathroom, she added. "The bathroom in here is also accessible by a person in a wheelchair."

Horatio walked into the bathroom and turned slowly, taking in the room. The shower stall is more than big enough to allow a wheeled bathroom chair to be wheeled in. The medicine cabinet, mirror, and sink are all low enough to be used by a person in a wheelchair. The faucet in the shower is low enough and the waterspout is also low enough. The cabinets are also low enough to be accessed by a person in a wheelchair. And, finally, the toilet is high enough to allow transfer in and out of a wheelchair. "Is the other bathroom also wheelchair accessible?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes, it is, but the bedroom itself is not. When I first made arrangements for the apartment, they asked then which one of us was in the wheelchair."

"Ah." Horatio nodded. "Thank you for showing me the apartment, Jessica."

She smiled. "You're more than welcome. You looked like there was something puzzling you."

He grinned. "Maybe a little. To tell you the truth, Stevie is the first victim we've ever had that has been in a wheelchair."

Jessica chuckled as they walked back into the dining room. "You and the team are handling the unusual-ness of it very well. Thank you for not making it any more of an issue than it has to be."

Horatio looked down for a moment, that boyish grin reappearing. "That's easy enough to do, Jessica. Stevie is one of those young men that makes it easy to 'not see' the wheelchair. I'm also very fortunate to have a team that is so diverse and that they're so accepting of different situations and victims."

Jessica smiled at him as she brought two coffee cups from the kitchen. "I think that is more a result of who the Commanding Officer is than anything." She set one of the cups in front of him.

"Thank you." He told her, with an embarrassed grin.

Jessica sat in the chair beside him. "For a group of people that's never dealt with someone like Stevie, I will admit that I'm a bit surprised at how relatively easily you all have accepted him."

"There again, Jessica, it's easy to concentrate just on Stevie, because of his personality. Luckily he's looking at the chair just as a means of getting around, of moving from point 'A' to point 'B', rather than as an extension of his body."

Jessica looked confused. "I thought you said that he is your first victim?"

Horatio chuckled. "He is, Jessica. I knew a man once, when I was a teenager, who lived his life as if he was confined to that chair. I remember overhearing two of his adult children talking one day and they were saying that if he would only learn to live his life from the chair instead of letting that inanimate object define his life that he would be so much happier."

He took a drink from his cup. "I've always tried to use that idea in my own life, as complicated as it has been sometimes. It's always better to use the tools and the abilities that you've been given, than it is to sit and feel sorry for yourself and to limit yourself that way."

Jessica nodded. "This is very true. The doctor's were thinking that I had missed something when they first told me about Stevie's condition. At that point, I was just thankful that he was alive, I knew we could get past anything, after that."

"You can, and you will, Jessica. Once we get you past this little mystery, everything else will be fine." Horatio put his hand gently on her arm.

"I know." She admitted, with a smile. "By the way, if I haven't said it before now, we really do appreciate what you're doing too."

"I know you do, Jessica." He told her. "No thanks is necessary, though. It's my pleasure to bring these people down."

"Can you tell me anything about how the investigation is going? Have you found the van yet?"

Horatio took both of Jessica's hand into his. "Jessica, I need you to do me a favor. I need you to concentrate on getting Stevie past this and back into what would be normal, Ok?"

She laughed as she realized he wouldn't tell her anything. "Ok, Horatio. I was just curious."

He chuckled as well. "That's not a problem, Ma'am." Horatio patted her hands. "I'll be here around 6:30 in the morning." He stood up and grabbed his jacket.

Jessica stood up and moved behind him. She helped to move the garment up his arms and over his shoulders. As she smoothed the coat across his back and over his shoulders, he turned to look at her. She leaned in to him and wrapped her arms around him, from under his jacket. "Thank you very much for all your help, Horatio. You are an angel."

She looked up to him. "Has anyone ever told you that?" She asked as she stepped back, away from him.

At first, the red head looked down at the floor, fighting not to blush at the extra attention. When he does finally look back up, Jessica noticed that embarrassed, boyish, shy grin is still in place. "I may have been told that a time or two."

She grinned back at him. "I'll bet." Jessica replied softly, as she walked him to the door.

"I'll see you in the morning, Jessica." He opens the door.

"Yes, you will. At around 6:30." She agreed. She watched from the door as he walked to the elevator, only going back into the apartment once the elevator doors closed, with him inside.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

As he walked toward the Hummer, he pulled out his cell pone and dialed a number."This is Jackson and Morgan Architecture. My name is Sandy. How may I direct your call?"

"Yes, is Craig still in?"

"I can check for you, sir." She told him. "May I tell him who's calling?"

"Yes, please tell him that Lt. Horatio Caine with the MDPD needs to speak with him. I believe he'll take the call." He listened to the hold music for a minute, then a male voice came on the line.

"Hey, there, H. What's going on, fellow Musketeer?"

Horatio chuckled. As he approached the Hummer, he pulled his keys from his pocket. "I have a work related question for you."

Craig chuckled. "My work, or yours?"

Horatio also chuckled. "Yours."

"Ok. Ask away."

"Have you ever worked on a house for a person in a wheelchair?" Horatio asked.

The silence stretches for a minute. "I don't think so, H." He replied, then added. "It shouldn't be too much trouble to make adjustments in an existing plan."

"More than you'd think, Craig." Horatio disagrees. "Doors doorways, and hallways all need to be widened, closets have to be renovated and furniture all made specifically for a person in a wheelchair all have to be bought to replace what the family already has." Horatio thought about it for a minute, as he climbed into the Hummer. "I'll tell you what, Craig. I have some further research to do, but would you be willing to work on this house for me?"

Craig chuckled. "Absolutely, H. It would also be an education for me, to work on a house for someone in a wheelchair. I'll leave your name with my secretary and when you decide what needs to be done, let me know."

"That sounds like a plan, Craig. I should be back in touch in a couple of days." Horatio explained.

"No problem, H. Just let me know, whichever way it goes." Craig told him.

"I will, Craig. Thank you for all your help."

Craig chuckled softly, then replied. "I haven't done anything yet, but you're welcome anyway."

"We'll talk to you later. Bye."

"Yup. Try to stay out of trouble." Craig replied.

"You are just no fun, but you try too, Craig."

"Yup. Bye." Craig chuckled again, softly as both men hung up.

Horatio looked down at the phone in his hand, and grinned, shaking his head. He then put his phone away and drove away to find some dinner.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

As he sat waiting for his dinner, Horatio thought about how best to get Craig the help he needed to redesign Stevie's and Jessica's house.

The owner of the restaurant, who was a friend of Horatio's noticed the red head was thinking fairly intensely about something. As he put the plate in front of him, Horatio quickly came back to the here and now."How are things, Richard?"

"Not too bad, Horatio. Did I tell you, I'm a Grandpa again?"

Horatio looked up at the Heavyset Italian man, his eyes had grown wide. "No, you didn't, Richard. Congratulations."

Horatio looked away for just a moment, thinking about his own family, then turned back to the man. "Did you get a grandson or granddaughter?"

Richard's pride increased. "Would you believe a granddaughter, after 4 sons?"

Horatio smiled. "Yes, I would."

"Enjoy your dinner, Horatio. If you need anything, just let me know, ok?"

Horatio nodded. "I will, Richard, I promise."

After a few minutes, Richard came back to check on him. Satisfied that the man was enjoying his meal, Richard asked. "Have you ever seen a tv show when they're filming it, Horatio?"

Horatio shook his head. "No. I imagine it's pretty interesting, though."

Richard nodded in agreement. "That's what R.J. says too. You remember R.J., don't you, Horatio?"

He nodded as well. "I remember R.J. He didn't move to California, did he, Richard?"

Richard chuckled. "No, he didn't, but he lives down the block from a family who is having their house renovated, you know, with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

That got Horatio's attention. "Does R.J. still live in Hollywood?"Richard nodded. "Yes, he does."

Horatio also nodded. "Ok, Richard, do me a favor, and call R.J. and let him know that I'm going to pay him a visit. I also need to speak with someone from the tv show, too."

"I'll tell him, Horatio."

Horatio finished his dinner and paid for it. As Richard gave him his change, he winked at the red head. "Don't be such a stranger, Horatio. You're welcome here anytime, you know that."

Horatio ducks his head, embarrassed. "I know, Richard. I'll try to be by more often, but I've been busy, with work."

Richard hugged him. "You're always busy with work. You need to learn to take time out for yourself. To stop and smell the roses."

"I know, Richard, and I'm trying, really. Hopefully, after tomorrow night, I'll have a reason to stop and smell the roses." Horatio returns the hug.Richard's eyebrows climb into his hair. "You mean to tell me that a lady has caught the eye of Horatio Caine?"

Horatio's embarrassed duck of the head continued. "I hope so, Richard. I've invited her to my house tomorrow for dinner and I'm going to ask her if she's willing to date me. Hopefully she'll say yes."

Richard studied the red head for a moment. "You sound worried." He observed. "You're not sure if she'll say yes, are you?"

Horatio nodded slowly. "It's complicated, Richard. No, I'm not sure what her response is going to be."

"If you love her and she loves you, I'm not sure what would make it complicated, but I'll wish you good luck with it." Richard told him. "If she does say 'yes', you have standing orders to bring her over."

Horatio rolled his eyes at his friend. "Richard, you're hopeless. All you're going to do is give her more ammunition against me."

Richard winked. "Of course. What kind of a friend would I be if I didn't at least make the attempt?" He asked rhetorically, as he walked the red head out the door.

They laughed together for a moment, then Horatio tossed a wave over his shoulder as he walked toward the Hummer. "We'll see you later, Richard. Take care."

"Be careful, young man, and remember, I want to meet her." He watched the red head drive away, as he turned a corner and disappeared from view.

Horatio drove home and went inside. He went upstairs, to his room and changed clothes, into his lounge pants and a t-shirt, then put his gun, badge and ID into the drawer of his bedside table. He went back downstairs and into the kitchen and got something to drink, then made his way into the den and sat down in front of his computer. Once the computer was booted and ready to use, Horatio logged into his Internet Service Provider and began his research into the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition tv show. His curiosity was very quickly satisfied.

Although Stevie's luck was not as bad as some of the people on their website, Horatio also knew that it was comparable to some of the other people that they had helped. He only hoped they would be willing to help with Stevie and Jessica's house.

Horatio took his glass in the kitchen and cleaned it out, then put it in the dishwasher. He also noticed that it was full, so he started it running, then went upstairs and went to bed.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

The alarm went off right on time. Horatio got up and gathered his suit together. He then also gathered a pair of dress socks, a pair of boxers, and a t-shirt, as well as his gun, badge, and ID and put all of the items into his duffle bag, along with his swim trunks and a plastic zip-lock bag. He then grabbed another pair of boxers, sweatpants, gym socks and a t-shirt, and went into the bathroom for a shower.

Horatio came out several minutes later fully dressed. He pulled a baseball style jacket out of his closet and took his jacket and duffle bag out to the Hummer. He drove to the apartment building and took a minute to look at his watch. He smiled. The time was 6:15 AM. He went inside and, on his way to the elevator, waved to the Security Officer, then made his way to the elevator. He got off on the correct floor and walked down the hall. He knocked on the door and, after a moment, the door opened and Jessica looked out.

"Oh, hey, Horatio. Good morning." She opened the door and invited him in. "Please come in. I'll be ready in a couple of minutes."

"That's fine, Jessica. Take your time. I know I'm a little early."

Jessica turned to go back down the hall as she told him. "Make yourself at home. There's a fresh pot of coffee on, if you want some."

"That sounds like a good idea." He told her as he moved into the kitchen.

When Jessica came down the hall, she asked Horatio. "How are you, this morning?" Jessica walked back into the dining room, and stopped. "Wow." She breathed.

Horatio looked up, puzzled at the sound of surprise in her voice. "What?"

She blinked in surprise for a moment. "I'm sorry, Horatio, but you look so different out of your suits that it's just taking a minute to get used to it."

Although he nodded, Jessica could also see the embarrassed grin that said he himself was not completely used to being seen out of his suits. He chuckled softly, as she went into the kitchen for her own cup of coffee. She sat down at the table next to him.

Horatio looked up from his coffee cup. "When you had made the arrangements for the house to be renovated, had you made any decisions at that point about if the floor plan was going to be different, and if so, how?"

Jessica looked at him puzzled, for a moment, then replied. "Before they started the construction, an architect did, in fact, have to redesign the floor plan because of the doors, doorways, and hallways. We were also going to put an elevator in the house because it was a two story house."

Horatio nodded. "Were you also introduced to the architect by this friend of your husband?"

"You mean Stanley Miller?" She asked.

Horatio nodded.

Jessica replied. "Yes, I was."

"What was the name of the architect firm?"

Jessica grabbed her purse. "Hold on. I have their card here somewhere."

"Ok." Horatio watched her search for a moment, then she handed him a card from her wallet. He looked at the card. Luckily it wasn't Craig's, but Horatio had recognized it, for the potential problem it could be.

The company had been part of an investigation, but due to lack of evidence, the team had been forced to let that part of the investigation fall by the wayside.

Horatio looked from the card, up to Jessica. "May I keep this for awhile?"

She nodded. "Sure, for however long you need it."

"Ok." He put the card in his wallet. "Do you have anything more to gather for Stevie?"

She looked into the living room. "The only thing I think we have left is his clothes and, if you don't mind, I'm going to ask if you'd be willing to do that part. Most boys, at that age, don't like for Mom to be digging through their dressers."

Horatio chuckled. "This is true. Does he have a duffle bag or a suitcase?"

"He has a duffle bag. I'll go get it." Jessica got up from the table and disappeared into the apartment. She returned after a couple of minutes with the duffle in hand. "Here it is."

"Ok." He took the bag from her. "What should I get for him?"

She thought about it for a minute, then shrugged. "I would be inclined to say 2 or 3 pair of lounge pants, 4 or 5 t-shirts, 4 or 5 pairs of boxers….." She slowly trailed off.

He grinned. "Why don't you come with me. He won't know, and I won't tell."

Jessica nodded and, together, they walked into Stevie's room. They gathered his clothes and put them into the duffle bag, then they also pulled pants and shirts from the closet and put them into a suit-carrier.

They brought both into the living room. Jessica very quickly checked that everything else was turned off, then they picked everything up and went out the door and down the hall, to the elevator.

Horatio and Jessica made their way out the door and out to the Hummer. Horatio drove them to the Hospital and pulled into the parking lot, just as Alexx and Calleigh pulled up around him. They helped to carry everything up to Stevie's room.

The youngster chuckled. "Sorry about that, gang. I didn't mean to make it seem like I was moving in here."

The adults also chuckled.

"No worries, Stevie." Horatio told him. He winked as he added. "Besides, you can help carry it out."

Stevie nodded, with a grin. "Sure."

The daytime nurse, a young woman with sandy blonde hair came into the room. "Hey, there, Stevie. How are things going today?"

"Hey, there, Andi. Did Dr. Fitz tell you that we're doing the cleansing this morning?"

She nodded. "He told me. In fact he asked me to see if you wanted a pain killer?"

The boy instantly shook his head. "No thank you, Andi. I want to see what it's going to be like, first. Besides, I'm not going to feel a lot of it."

She nodded again. "I didn't think you would, but I wanted to offer."

Horatio chuckled, in agreement.

"Oh, yeah, Andi. This is my new friend, H." Stevie looked up at the red head, before turning back to the young woman. "Actually Lt Horatio Caine, with the Miami Dade Police." Stevie made the introductions. "I asked Dr Fitz to note my chart, but I don't know if he did. Lt Caine gets full access to all of my records, just like my Mom or even Aunt Calleigh."

The two adults exchange acknowledgements. "That's fine, Stevie. I'll double-check your records and I'll also pass the word to the other Nurses on Staff. Ok?" "That'd be great, Andi, thank you." Stevie told her."Yes, please, ma'am." Horatio added.

Calleigh and Alexx trade an amused grin. The red head's well known manners had come out.

Andi chuckled. "That's not a problem, gentlemen. In the meantime, Stevie, Dr Fitzgerald said something about that we needed to take out your I.V., as well as something about getting you into your swim trunks."

Stevie blushed slightly. "I'm going to let you pull out the I. V., Andi, and please, don't take this wrong, but if you and H don't mind, I'm going to ask for his help to change into my swim trunks."

The adults laughed as Stevie turned a light shade of pink, and ducked his head.

"Stevie, this is different. I'm a Nurse." Andi gently reminded him, as she removed the I.V. from the back of his hand.

The boy's tone changed. "I know you're a Nurse, Andi, but you're not seeing me in my birthday suit. End of discussion."

The adults continued to chuckle. "Ok, Stevie. If you need any help, just let me know." Andi told them.

"I think we have it handled, ma'am, but thank you anyway." Horatio told her.

Once Andi left the room, Stevie turned to the women in the room. "Ladies, if you don't mind, would you please step out for a few minutes?" Before any of them could argue, Stevie told them. "I know that it's part of your jobs, and Mom, I know you've seen me in my birthday suit before, but not with me awake, so I can die of embarrassment."

The adults laugh softly."I know what you mean, Stevie." Horatio told him. "I've nearly died of embarrassment a time or two, when Dr Alexx has had to treat me for various injuries over the years."

Alexx added her two cents worth. "One time it was very important that we had to, Stevie, and he still turned almost as red as his hair."Jessica and Calleigh shared a smile from their place near the door.Stevie and Alexx also shared a knowing smile, as, sure enough, Horatio ducked his head, attempting to get away from the attention.

"What happened, Dr. Alexx?" Stevie asked.

"Well." Alexx looked over at Horatio for just a moment. He nodded, and Alexx turned back to the youngster. "This happened quite some time ago, Stevie. The team was at work on a crime scene and a witness that later turned out to be one of the bad guys made a run for it. Horatio chased after him and caught up with him in a park. While they were fighting, a bee flew into the dress shirt that Horatio was wearing, and stung him……"

Horatio took the story over. "I never knew it, but apparently, I'm allergic to bees and when I lost consciousness, and my heart started beating way too fast, Alexx said that it was necessary to find out what had happened. She was right of course. There again, I didn't know I was allergic to bees, so it helped that way, but it was still embarrassing to wake up in the Emergency Room with no shirt or jacket on, feeling like I'd been knocked over with a piano."

Stevie chuckled. "You were probably wanting a deep, dark, black hole, weren't you, H?"

Horatio also chuckled. "You better believe it."

"Where did the bee get you, H?" The youngster asked.

"Would you believe, he got me in the side, up here just under my arm?" He lifted his left arm and pointed with his right.

"Whoa." Stevie breathed. "That's awful close to your heart, H. No wonder all that happened."

"It still would have happened, even if the bee had stung him on the bottom of his foot, Stevie." Alexx explained.

"Oh, ok." The youngster replied. "Let's get me changed and we can get his show on the road."

Alexx traded looks with Horatio. As she moved toward the door, she replied. "Ok, Stevie. We're going."


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The women stepped out to the hall as Horatio moved to Stevie's duffle bag. He opened the bag and pulled out Stevie's swim trunks.

"Here they are, Stevie. Let's get you dressed." Horatio helped, although he found he helped as little as possible due to the youngster's independence, to get Stevie dressed. Once Stevie was resettled, Horatio walked over to the door. "Ladies, you can come back in, now."

When the women come back in, Horatio walked over to where his duffle is setting. He pulled his own swim trunks out and zipped it closed. "I'll be right back." He walked into the bathroom and closed the door.

After a few minutes, Horatio came out of the bathroom, in blue swim trunks, and a white t-shirt, just as Dr Fitzgerald came in.

"Ok, Stevie, you ready?"

The youngster looked up at the doctor. "As ready as I'm going to be, Dr Fitz."

The doctor chuckled. "Ok, Stevie. Andi told me that you refused a pain killer. I don't think you're really going to need one, but if you do, we do have one we can give you." Fitzgerald pulled the blanket and the sheet off the youngster's body, then recovered him right away with a towel material cover. "Lt. Caine, if you don't mind, do me a favor and help me transfer him to the gurney."

"I can do that." Horatio told him. He walked around to the foot of the bed. "Let me know when you're ready."

Fitzgerald moved to the head of the bed. "Ok. On 3. Ready? 1.…2.…3, now."

The men lifted the youngster and set him on the gurney. They covered him with a blanket. "ok. Let's go."

Horatio helped to steer the gurney down the hall and into the elevator. Calleigh, Jessica, and Alexx joined them in the elevator with Andi and Diego Vega, a male nurse.

When the elevator reached it's destination, they stepped off and turned right. They went down this long hallway and turned right, into a large room.

In one end of the room is a very large see through, clear plastic tank, with stairs leading to the platform, as well as into the tank. On one side of the tank, underneath the platform, there was also a set of controls as well as several gauzes.

Fitzgerald turned to Diego. "Do me a favor and set the temp for 90 degrees in the tank."

"Yes, sir." He replied as he turned toward the control panel. After a moment, the dials began to move. "Ok, Dr Fitzgerald. The saline is starting to warm up."

"Ok, Diego, thank you. Don't start the saline running until we're ready."

"Yes, sir, Dr."

Fitzgerald looked over at Horatio. "Let's move him behind this curtain."

Horatio nodded and they moved the gurney, then set the brakes.

Fitzgerald leaned over the youngster. "How you doing, Stevie?"

"I'm doing ok, Dr. Fitz." Stevie told him with a grin.

Fitzgerald grinned back. "OK, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to roll you over, then I'm going to give you several shots of Novocain above your threshold, then once they've started working, I can get the glass out of your back."

"That sounds like a plan to me, Dr Fitz." Stevie agreed.

"Ok." He looked over at Horatio. "Would you please help move his legs, Lt?"

The red head nodded. "Sure."

Fitzgerald looked back down at the youngster. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah, I'm ok, Dr Fitz. I can do it, by myself." The boy moved to sit up, then shifted, and rolled over, so that he was laying face down on the gurney. "Ok, Dr Fitz, I'm set."

"Ok, Stevie." Fitzgerald turned to Andi. "Ok, Andi. I'll take the needle and the bottle of Novocain. Also, please hold up the picture from the MRI."

The Nurse passed him the needle and the bottle, then held up the picture.

Fitzgerald looked at the picture for a minute, then turned to the youngster. "Ok, Stevie, you're going to be feeling several slight pricks."

"Ok." Stevie replied.

Fitzgerald filled the syringe with Novocain, then looked from the MRI to Stevie and back again, then gave Stevie a series of small injections in various locations over the youngster's entire back and partially around both sides and over both shoulders. "Ok, Stevie, while we're letting that work, I'm going to be getting the other pieces of glass out of the backs of your legs. If you start to feel anything, say something."

Stevie chuckled. "Don't worry, Dr. Fitz, I will."

The adults laughed, as well.

Fitzgerald picked up a pair of gloves and put them on, then picked up a scalpel. "Ok." He leaned over Stevie's legs, then looked back and forth between Stevie and the MRI results. After a moment he moved the scalpel toward Stevie's legs.

"Hey, Stevie, what do you draw?" Horatio asked, trying to keep Stevie's attention diverted.

Stevie turned his head to look over at the red head. "I'm able to draw lots of things, H. I like to draw space and forests and caves and stuff like that. I'm working on drawing people and I'm mostly successful, I've got the proportions down ok, but I'm still working on how to make them look 3-D."

"You'll figure it out, Stevie." Horatio told the youngster. "Just give it time."

"I know." Stevie agreed. "I just need some more practice, that's all."

"Do you do any other kind of art, like drawing on a computer?" Horatio asked.

Stevie grinned then nodded. "I like to do some art on the computer, like pixel art and micro's. Before he died, Dad had said that he was going to try to get me an art tablet, just for the computer, so that maybe I could color some of my drawings on the computer." The youngster's grin fell slightly. "Mom said that when the new house was finished, she would try to let me get an art tablet, but we'll see when we get there."

Horatio looked puzzled. "Don't you think it's going to happen, Stevie?"

Stevie closed his eyes for just a moment, then, as he opened them and looked at Horatio, he replied. "Truthfully, H, I'm not sure. I heard you and Mom talking about the house. If Mom is still staying in the apartment, then it's not done. I don't know how long I'm going to be in the hospital this time, but I do know that chances are it's not going to be nearly long enough for the house to be renovated. What's going to happen then?"

Horatio leaned down so that he could look into Stevie's eyes. "Stevie, I need you to do me a favor, ok? I want you to concentrate on getting better. The house is part of the mystery that the team and I are trying to fix for you. If it's not finished by the time you're out of the hospital, it will be shortly thereafter. You have your hands full, just getting better, and that what I want you to work on. Getting better, keeping your grades on track, your art, and your exercises, ok? Can you do that for me?"

The youngster nodded slowly. "I can do that, H."

"Good man." Horatio also nodded. "I knew you could."


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"Ok, Stevie." Dr Fitzgerald spoke up just then. "I'm starting to move past your threshold, if you start to feel the slightest little thing, I need you to tell me right away, ok?"

"I know, Dr Fitz." Stevie tried to assure the man. "I will, don't worry." After a moment, he felt the doctor continue, then he looked back over Horatio. "I've meant to ask you, H, how did you get your nickname? Did someone give it to you?"

Alexx and Calleigh could tell by the genuine, innocent laugh, that the memory was one of the rare pleasant ones for Horatio.

"It's really been quite a while since someone has asked about that. My little brother gave me my nickname, Stevie." Horatio told him."

"Your brother did?" Stevie echoed.

"Mmmm, hmmm." Horatio nodded. "When we were little and Ray was first learning how to talk, he, just like a lot of other people, had trouble getting 'Horatio' to come out properly. One day, he got so completely exasperated, and he switched to 'H'. Once Mom and I realized what he did, and why, we agreed, and 'H' has been my nickname ever since."

The women traded amused smiles. Calleigh and Alexx both suspected the story was similar to that, although the subject of his nickname was one of those things that had just never really been though about.

After a few additional moments, Fitzgerald looked up from his work. "Ok, Stevie. I'm done. How are you doing kiddo. Any discomfort or pain?"

"Nope, not a thing, Dr Fitz. I'm fine." Stevie replied.

"Well, when the Novocain wears off, you're going to know it. Let me know if you need a pain killer, ok?"

"I will, Dr Fitz." The youngster repeated.

"Ok, let's have you roll over on to your back, and we'll get finished."

"Ok, but I think I'm going to need some help." Stevie told the men.

"Mr Vega, would you please come over here?" Fitzgerald called to the male nurse.

"Yes, sir." The nurse came over.

"On 3, let's lift him and roll him over." Fitzgerald looked over at the other two men. They nodded. He looked down at the youngster. "You ready, Stevie?"

"Yup. Let's do it." The boy agreed.

"Let us do all the work, Stevie, Ok?" Fitzgerald looked down at him.

Stevie nodded. "Ok."

"Ok." Fitzgerald replied. He looked back up at Horatio and the nurse. "1.…2.…3, now."

They picked the boy up, then rolled him over in one swift move, then laid him down on the gurney. Stevie flinched when his back made contact with the gurney.

"You ok, Stevie?" Horatio had seen the boy flinch.

"I'm fine, H." Stevie replied. "I just felt that, that's all."

"Do you want a pain killer, Stevie?" Fitzgerald asked.

"No, Dr Fitz, I don't need a pain killer."

"You said that rather quickly, Stevie." Horatio advised. "Are you sure? Even just a Tylenol?"

"I'm positive, H. Everything's fine." Stevie told him.

"Stevie, why are you so worried about getting addicted to pain killers?"

The boy chuckled. "I wondered when you'd ask about that. I'm not 'worried' about getting addicted to anything H. I'm just not getting hooked on anything, period. I'm not going to put Mom through that."

Horatio thought about that for a moment. "Stevie, did you have a friend who got hooked on drugs?" He asked, gently.

Stevie nodded slowly. When he responded, his little voice shook. "When we were 10, he was hooked on alcohol. He fell and broke his arm once. He fell because he was drunk. I tried to tell his parents and the doctors tried to tell them, but they wouldn't listen to us. After he got out of the hospital, he also got hooked on the pain killers he had been given for his arm. Months later, he killed himself with an overdose. He left a note for his parents. Although they never let me see the note, or read it, they blamed me for his death. Even to this day, if we just happen to be in the same place at the same time, they refuse to even acknowledge me. I tried to tell them about David, but they weren't hearing me or believing me." Stevie sighed deeply. "I'm not going to do that to Mom. Dad's depending on me to be the man. I can't protect Mom or even take care of her if I'm drunk or high on drugs."

The women had been listening to their conversation from the other side of the curtain. Jessica put her hand over her mouth, as her eyes teared up. Calleigh and Alexx stood on either side of her, each putting a hand on her shoulder.

"What did I do to deserve a son like him?" Jessica asked, under her breath.

"He's extra special, that's for sure." Alexx agreed. "He actually reminds me a lot of Horatio."

Calleigh nodded. "That may be why they're getting along so well." She added.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter 32

Unaware of the women's conversation, Horatio thought about what he could say to the youngster. "Stevie it's a good thing that you're aware of the dangers of becoming addicted to drugs. We would not let you get hooked on anything. The doctor and the nurses should not have allowed him to get hooked in the first place. Dr Fitzgerald is not going to allow that to happen." Horatio looked over at Fitzgerald pointedly.

"Lt Caine is right, Stevie. Your friend's doctor should never had allowed him to leave the hospital, if he was hooked on the pain killers. It goes completely against the oath we take, the promise we make to our teachers. That promise says that we'll never allow someone to come to harm, if we can prevent it. The nurses should also have kept track of how often he asked for a pain killer, just for this reason."

"That's right, Stevie." Horatio continued. "The doctors and nurses don't want you to be addicted, but they don't want you to be in pain either."

"I think I get it, H." Stevie told them. "Luckily the Tylenol is killing the pain that I've been in up to this point, but I'll try to be a bit more cooperative about it. I just don't want to get hooked on something and then be a disappointment to Mom, or Dad, or even Aunt Calleigh, or you or the team, Mr Eric or Dr Alexx or Det Tripp."

"That would not be possible, Stevie. Trust me, partner, Ok? I'm pretty sure I can speak for the team and say that there's not many things you could do that would disappoint us. We're trying to help get things taken care of because we want to help. The van, your house, the problems you've been having with your P.T. they're all things that you and Mom have had no control over and it's just been a case of very bad luck. We're just trying to get things fixed, so that you and Mom will be ok, as if Dad were still here."

Stevie nodded. "We really do appreciate what you're doing too, by the way."

"I know you do, Partner. It's not a problem. We're more than happy to get this fixed for you." Horatio told the youngster. Horatio had the youngster's attention so that Dr Fitzgerald could give Stevie the Novocain injections across his chest and abdomen. During a lull in the conversation, Fitzgerald looked down at the youngster.

"You ok, Stevie? We're going to let the Novocain work, while I work on your legs. Again, if you start to feel anything let me know, ok?"

"I'm fine, Dr Fitz. I'll let you know, I promise."

Horatio watched the doctor work for a moment, then turned back to the boy. "Hey, Stevie, who are your closest friends?"

The boy quirked a mischievous grin. "You mean besides you, Mom, Aunt Calleigh, and the team?"

Horatio tilted his head and matched Stevie's grin with one of his own. "Yes, Stevie, besides us. I actually meant at school."

Stevie thought for a minute. "Well, now, there's about 7 or 8 of us in the 'gang'. There's me, Greg, Gordie, Heidi, Julio, Tony, and Candie."

Horatio nodded. "That's quite a few of you."

Stevie shrugged. "Not that many."

"What sort of things do you guys like to do?"

"Well, before the accident, we'd go bike riding, skate boarding, or we'd go to the mall, the movies, or places like that." Stevie paused for a moment, looking down at his legs, then continued. "Now, though, we haven't really had a lot of time to get into trouble. We're having to redefine the term 'mischief'. I'm not as freely mobile as I used to be."

"I know, Stevie." Horatio agreed. "Give it a little bit of time, son. You just need to find a new way of doing some of the things you used to do."

"I know, H, but sometimes it's frustrating. I guess I'm still getting used to having to adjust my independence around that chair."

"Try to be patient, Stevie. It'll come. In the short time that I've known you, I don't think you're going to take the short route to anything, including your Independence. The first question you asked was when you'd be able to go back into the gym. Even I can tell, even before the accident, you were taking pride in how that body looked and you were aware of the effect it had on other people, especially the ladies."

Stevie blushed slightly as he quirked a grin, looking down. "I did, but what good does it do me when I look like Frankenstein's Monster?"

"I know, Stevie." Horatio began thoughtfully. "When the incisions heal, they will scar over, and over time, the scars will eventually fade away. When you get older, you'll barely be able to see them."

"Yeah, but, in the meantime,…." Stevie shrugged.

Alexx called from the other side of the curtain. "Hey, Stevie, if I were a few years younger, you'd turn my head, that's for sure."

The youngster blushed again as he quirked that embarrassed grin. "Dr Alexx!!"

The adults laughed at his embarrassment.

"Actually, I would agree with that, Stevie." Andi agreed. "If I were younger, you'd turn my head, too."

Horatio grinned at him. "See, Mr Ladies Man? You're more popular than you think."

Stevie chuckled. "This coming from the man who turns female heads wherever he goes. Speaking of which, H, did you and your lady friend ever 'play' with the magic?"

"Not yet, Stevie." Horatio told him. "I actually have something complicated I need to tell her first. We do have a date though, so don't worry."

"I'm not sure what 'complicated' you would have to tell her, H, but try to think positive. She'll say 'yes'."

"I hope so." The red head admitted truthfully.

"Stevie, I'm moving past your threshold." Fitzgerald told him.

"Ok."


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"What sort of classes are you taking, Stevie?" Horatio asked.

"Well, I've got U.S. History, Math, Art, Science, and Computers." Stevie told him.

Horatio looked up when the curtain moved, to see Alexx come in. He looked back down at the youngster. "That's an impressive list, isn't it Alexx?"

"Yes, it is." She agreed. "Is your Math class just normal math, or the more complicated, like Algebra?"

"Actually, it's starting to get into the more complicated math, like Algebra. Just before the accident at the Events Center, I had a test in Math class that had the more complicated adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing, all in one problem, and I got an 'A' on that test. When Mom and Miss Gordon asked me about that test, I was telling them that it didn't feel that hard, and they decided to try me out with some Algebra."

"I'm impressed." Horatio admitted. "Algebra at 12 is doing really well, Stevie. From there, you can go on to programming computers, and working with them, to almost anything."

"Almost anything, H." The youngster agreed. "But I still can't be a cop, or a CSI, or an astronaut, or anything normal."

"You don't want to do anything normal, do you, Stevie?" Horatio asked, as he realized that the doctor was almost done. "Normal, really, is fairly highly overrated."

That had the boy's attention. "What do you mean, H? Normal is good, isn't it?"

The red head nodded. "Most of the time, yes, it is, Stevie, but when you're talking about a career, usually people want a job that they like doing and that challenges the mind and is a positive in that regard. When I was a youngster, only a little bit older than you are now, my Mom and my teachers discovered, quite by accident, that I could solve puzzles really quickly. Even now, it's hard to explain. I see the puzzle pieces and I just kind of know where they're supposed to fit, and they do. It's like that with work too, which is part of the reason I chose to be a cop, I can see the parts of a case like a puzzle, and after awhile all the parts of a case start fitting together, like a puzzle. You're going to find that knack you have, and when you do, you should be ready to pursue it, and see where it takes you. Maybe you already have, with your art and your being able to work with computers, take that, pursue it as far as you can, and don't let anyone tell you that it's not important or that it can't happen, because it can, partner. It can happen as far as you want it to and take you as far as it can."

The youngster nodded slowly, thinking about what the man had said. "Ok, H. I get it."

"Ok, Stevie. We're ready to take you into the saline bath for the cleansing. How are you doing? Do you need a pain killer yet?"

Stevie shook his head. "Not yet, Dr Fitz. I will admit that I'm starting to feel something, but I'm not completely uncomfortable yet. I'll let you know."

"Ok." Fitzgerald looked over at Diego. "Would you please come over and take him into the tank, please, Diego."

"Sure." The male nurse moved to come pick the boy up.

Horatio interrupted him. "That's not necessary, Diego. I can carry him." As he moved to do so himself.

Fitzgerald looked at Horatio. "Can you carry him, or do you need some help?"

When Horatio picked Stevie up off the gurney, the youngster wrapped his arms around the red head's neck. "For right now, we're fine."

The men made their way up the stairs to the platform. Fitzgerald picked up the three scuba masks, then followed Horatio down the stairs, into the tank.

At the bottom, Horatio set Stevie on the bench, then the men sat on either side of him. Horatio helped Stevie put his mask on and fitted it to him, then put his own on.

Fitzgerald looked first at Stevie, then at Horatio.

Horatio, in turn, first looked at Stevie, then gave the doctor a 'thumbs up'.

Fitzgerald nodded, then put his own mask on. "Stevie, can you hear me?"

The youngster nodded. "I hear you just fine, Dr Fitz."

"What about you, Diego?" He asked the Nurse.

"We also hear you just fine, Dr Fitzgerald."

"Thank you." Dr Fitzgerald replied. "Please let me know when the temperature reaches 90 degrees."

"Yes, sir."

Fitzgerald picked up the hose with the brush. "Before we start the saline running, Stevie, I wanted to show you how the cleaning would work."

Fitzgerald pointed to the brush end. "The saline, germs and bacteria go in this end." He pointed to the other end. "Then, the cleaned saline comes back out this end." He then held the unit in the middle. "The germs and bacteria get caught by the filter, in here." He moved the bristles against the youngster's skin. "We also wanted to see if the bristles are too stiff for you."

The boy shook his head. "No, Dr Fitz, it doesn't hurt. I'm fine."

Nurse Vega's voice came through. "Dr Fitzgerald, the temperature has just reached 90 degrees."

Fitzgerald lifted the brush off the boy's body. "Thank you, Diego. Please go ahead and start the saline running."

"Yes, sir." The man replied. He flipped a couple of switches, then turned a large wheel. After another moment, saline began pouring out of 3 different faucets inside the tank.

After a few minutes, the level of saline started to rise. When it got to the level of the bench, Fitzgerald reached into the saline and tried to splash toward Stevie. "Is it too hot for you, Stevie?"

Stevie reached into the saline. "No, I'm ok, Dr Fitz. It actually feels good."

Fitzgerald looked passed the boy to Horatio. "What about you, Lt.? You ok? Is it too hot for you?"

Horatio shook his head. "I'm fine, Dr Fitzgerald. It's not too hot. Go ahead."

The saline continued to rise and after an additional few minutes longer, it slowly rose above Stevie's head.

Dr Fitzgerald knelt in front of Stevie, so that he also was under the level of saline. "You ok, Stevie?"

The boy nodded. "I'm fine, Dr Fitz."

Fitzgerald also nodded. "Ok, Stevie, you are. Just breath normally, ok?"

Stevie nodded again.

Fitzgerald patted the youngster, gently, on the shoulder as he returned to sit on the bench. After another few minutes longer, the level of saline goes above Horatio's head, then the doctor's. When he can stand and his head remained below the level of the saline, he told the Nurse. "Ok, Diego. Please turn off the saline."

The man did so.

Fitzgerald stood up. "Ok, Stevie. Let's go ahead and have you lean over Lt Caine's lap. That way the more difficult part is done first."

"That sounds like a good idea, Dr Fitzgerald." Horatio agreed. "Come here, Stevie." He patted his lap.

Stevie leaned over the man's lap. "Ok. I'm set. Go ahead."


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Dr Fitzgerald lifted the youngster's legs and set them on the bench. He turned on the cleaner. "Ok, Stevie. Please let me know if you start to feel uncomfortable."

"I will, Dr Fitz." Stevie promised.

The doctor started working from the boy's feet and went up.

Horatio watched the doctor work on the boy's legs for a moment, then leaned in to look at the youngster. "When I picked up your Mom this morning, I noticed that you had a PS2 system. What kinds of games do you like to play?"

The youngster looked over his shoulder, at the red head. "There's actually several games that I have for it. Lego Star Wars I and II, NBA Live, Spiderman, and Guitar Hero. I do have other games for it, but they're in storage." When Fitzgerald moved the brush over the youngster's threshold, Stevie giggled and moved in Horatio's lap.

"You ok, partner?"

The youngster nodded. "I'm fine, H. That just tickled, that's all." Stevie told him.

"Ok."

"Andi, do me a favor, please, and put the plastic sheeting and a couple of towels on the gurney." Fitzgerald called out. "Also, please have several towels handy for all three of us."

"Yes, sir." Andi responded. She walked away, to get the items he asked for.

"Hey, Dr Fitz, how quickly will we know if this worked?" Stevie looked over his other shoulder.

The doctor looked briefly over at Horatio, who nodded. "Well, Stevie. I'm hoping to get a positive white blood cell count test later this afternoon, or tomorrow at the latest."

"Is that how you knew that the infection was so badly out of control? Besides my complaining all the time?" Stevie asked for clarification.

The doctor nodded. "Yes, when your WBC count starting going down, we knew that the infection was doing it's thing. We just weren't expecting it to go down quite so fast." Before the youngster could say anything, Fitzgerald added. "Oh, and just to let you know, you haven't complained, and you haven't been difficult to get along with."

The adults could hear the grin in the youngster's voice. "Well, I haven't meant to be, but I have been about the Tylenol. I'll try to be better about it."

Horatio told the boy. "We also understand better why you've been reluctant to take it as well. Now that we do know why, we can help with it."

"That's right, Stevie." Fitzgerald agreed.

"I know." Stevie admitted.

"Let's get you turned around Stevie, so that we can finish this up." Fitzgerald asked.

"Ok." Stevie moved to sit up.

Horatio helped to turn him around, so that he sat on the bench.

"How you doing, Stevie?" Horatio looked down at the youngster.

"I'm ok, H, but I think maybe something might be wearing off."

"Why do you say that, Stevie?" Fitzgerald asked.

"I'm not going to call it pain, necessarily, but I will say that something is feeling a bit uncomfortable." Stevie explained.

Fitzgerald looked up at Horatio.

The red head nodded.

"You're ok, Stevie. We're going to be out of here in just a couple of minutes and I can get you some Tylenol." The doctor told him.

"No problem, Dr Fitz. It can wait. I'm ok." Stevie told him.

"Ok." Fitzgerald knelt in front of Stevie and Horatio.

"I'm not getting you and Aunt Calleigh in trouble at the lab, am I, H?" Stevie looked up at the red head.

Horatio shook his head. "No, Stevie, you're not. Why?"

"Well, it's not that I don't appreciate the fact that you're here, and I really like having you and Aunt Calleigh and Doctor Alexx here, it's just that sometimes I worry that you're spending so much time here that it's going to get you in trouble with your boss at the lab." Stevie asked.

Horatio looked out of the glass tank, toward the women, then turned back to the youngster. "Stevie, I'm Aunt Calleigh's and Doctor Alexx's boss, so that not a problem. I am the Head of Crime Lab and the day shift supervisor, so that gives me a little bit of freedom in how much and how often I have to be at the lab. Aunt Calleigh, Mr Eric, Dr Alexx and the others all know how to do their jobs. I picked them to work on my team for just that reason. I don't constantly have to watch them to make sure that things get done. My boss is the Chief Officer of the Police Department, Chief Jim Burton. I told him about you and how I met you. I also told him about what happened at the Events Center, and that it was very important to make sure we got the van back for you and that we helped to figure out the problems with the house. Chief Burton knows that we're working on this for you and he said that it was ok." Horatio explained.

"Ok." Stevie began. "But what if they get busy and they need you to come back to help?"

"Then they'll call or text message us. Stevie, we're in constant communication with the lab. Don't worry, ok? I've got it covered." Horatio told him. Suddenly an idea came to him. "Hey, Alexx. Do me a favor and call Eric, please?"

"Sure." She told him. She pulled out her cell phone and put it on speaker phone, then she speed dialed Eric, then held her phone up to the microphone.

After a few minutes, Eric's voice came over the speaker. "Hey, Alexx. What's going on? How's Stevie doing?"

Stevie chuckled. "I'm ok, Mr Eric. What's going on there? Do you need them to come back?"

Eric also chuckled. "Hey, there, Stevie. We've got things covered."

The sound of a door opening could be heard over the phone. "Hey, Eric, have you seen H this morning, or did he go straight to the hospital?"

Before Eric could say anything, Horatio replied. "I came straight to the hospital this morning, Mr Wolfe. Did you need something?"

The youngest CSI explained. "I only wanted to tell you that I finally got a call back from Mr Markham. He said that the workers from the Janitorial service would be in to the Events Center office starting at 11am, and that we would be able to interview them any time after that."

"Excellent. Mr Wolfe, if you did not mind, I would like to accompany you to that interview?" Horatio asked, not completely sure what the youngest member of the team would think about that.

"No problem, H. We can do that. When did you want to go?" Ryan asked, pleasantly surprised that his boss wanted to go with him.

"Let's say we'd leave here about ½ an hour before. It'll give us time to get there." Horatio told the younger man. "In the mean time, would you please come up here to the hospital? We'll all be in Stevie's room by the time you get here, it's Room 525 West."

At the Lab, Ryan looked over at Eric, and the confusion, and partial panic is far too easy to read on the younger man's face. "You mean, now, H?"

"Yes, Mr Wolfe, I do. I have something I need for you to do for me, unless, of course, you have a pressing engagement that can't wait." The gentle sarcasm was meant to take the sting out of the words.

Soft laughter could be heard coming over the connection, then Ryan replied. "I'm on my way, H. Be there as quick as I can."

Over the phone, they heard a door open, then close, then Eric chuckled softly."Oh, man, H, you really had him hopping."

Behind his mask, Horatio smiled, as Alexx and Calleigh laughed.

"Good." The red head replied. "Have you had the chance to work on that project, Eric?" He asked, hoping that Eric would remember the code.

"I'm going to leave in about an hour to work on that, boss." Eric remembered.

"Ok." Horatio understood the message. "Eric, do me a favor, when you get back, and have Frank bring Kevin Miller back in. I have some more questions I want to ask him."

"I've got it covered, H. He'll be waiting for you when you come back."

"I don't mean to interrupt, Lt, but Diego, would you please go ahead and drain the tank, please?" Fitzgerald sneaks his way in to the conversation.

"I've got it, Dr Fitzgerald." The male nurse replied. He flipped a couple of switches another way, then turned the large wheel the other direction. After a moment, three drains opened in the bottom of the tank and the water was slowly pumped out.

"Ok, Eric. Thank you very much for all your help, sir, with this project."

"You're more than welcome, H. I'm glad I could help. We'll see you later." Eric hung up.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter 35

Alexx also hung up her phone and put it back in her purse.

After a few minutes, the saline level had come first to Fitzgerald's head, then Horatio's, then Stevie's. When the saline level went below each of their heads, each of the men took off their breathing masks and Horatio helped to take Stevie's off him and passed both of them back to the doctor.

When the saline got below the level of the bench, Horatio picked Stevie up.

The youngster put his arms around Horatio's neck. "You ok, partner? I'm not too heavy, am I?" The boy looked over at him closely.

Horatio shook his head. "You're not too heavy, partner. We're just moving from the water, to the air. Water is more dense, and more heavy, than the air is. It's just taking me a minute to readjust, that's all." As Horatio began to climb the stairs up, out of the tank, it's apparent that he's getting his equilibrium back.

They made their way down the stairs outside the tank, then moved over to the gurney. Fitzgerald picked up several of the towels.

"Ok, Lt. Please lay him face down."

Horatio walked around the gurney, and put Stevie on it, so that he could lay, face down.

"Very good." Fitzgerald commented, then looked down at the youngster. "How you doing, Stevie?"

"I'm ok, Dr Fitz, but I think I could probably use that Tylenol, now, if you don't mind."

"No, problem." He turned to the female nurse, with his hand held out. "Andi, if you please?" He quirked a grin at her.

She matched his grin with one of her own. "Yes, sir." She passed a syringe, and a bottle to the doctor."Thank you." He took them from her. "Please, don't forget to mark this in his chart when we get back upstairs."

At first she looked insulted that he would even hint that she would not do her job, then she realized that he had said that for Stevie's benefit. "I won't forget, Dr Fitzgerald."

He filled the syringe with the medication, then gave the bottle back to her. As he turned to the youngster, Fitzgerald told him. "Stevie, you may get sleepy with this, ok. Just go with it. You don't need to be awake for this part of it, and I want you to sleep it off, ok?"

The boy nodded. "I understand Doctor Fitz."

"Ok." Fitzgerald pulled down Stevie's shorts just enough to expose his hip, then quickly gave him the shot, knowing that the youngster never felt it anyway, having been below the level of his Spinal Cord Injury. Fitzgerald also passed the syringe back to Andi, then took two of the towels from her. "Don't scrub him dry, just pat him down, please, Lt?"

"I've got it, Dr Fitzgerald." Horatio told him, taking one of the towels from the doctor.

Both men unfolded the towels, then began to pat the youngster dry. After a couple of minutes, Horatio commented. "I think he's starting to dry off, Dr."

"I see that, Lt. Take a fresh towel, and try to dry yourself off." Dr Fitzgerald agreed as he pulled a fresh towel off the stack for himself, opened it, and began to pat himself dry.

"I am." Horatio replied, then added. "I was actually going to take a shower, once we got back upstairs."

Fitzgerald finished drying himself off and towel drying his hair with a smile. He tossed the towel toward the laundry basket, then turned toward Andi. "Ok, Andi. I'll take the bottle and the applicator."

The blonde nurse passed the items to the doctor. "Here you go, Dr Fitzgerald."

"Thank you." Dr Fitzgerald replied to her. He turned back to the youngster. "How are you doing, Stevie?"

"I'm ok, Dr Fitz." The boy told him.

"I'm going to start applying the liquid bandage. If you start feeling anything unusual, Stevie, please tell me."

"I will." Stevie tried to reassure him.

Fitzgerald dipped the applicator in the solution, then turned back to Stevie. He quickly applied the liquid bandage solution on each of the incisions within reach. He then tossed the applicator in the garbage and turned back toward Andi, as he held his hand out. "Another one, please, Andi."

"Yes, sir." She passed another applicator to him.

Fitzgerald again dipped it into the solution and applied the liquid bandage to several of the incisions on Stevie's body, then repeated that part once, or twice more, then tossed in the garbage, and then asked the female nurse for another one. He repeated that part of the procedure more than once, then, with Horatio's and Diego's help, they turned Stevie over.

The Tylenol was, by this time, starting to work, and Stevie was, in fact, getting quite sleepy.

"Just go with it, Stevie." Horatio told the youngster, moving a small lock of hair out of the boy's eyes. "I'm right here to back you up, partner. I've got things covered. Why don't you take a short nap, then you'll be awake later, and we can watch cartoons again. How does that sound?"

Stevie cracked a grin. "Thanks for backing me up, partner. I wasn't sure what was going to happen, and even though I know you really should have been at the lab today, I've been glad to have you here."

Horatio looked up at the doctor, briefly. They exchanged nods, then Horatio turned back to Stevie. "I knew that partner. I wasn't going to let you go in alone. There's no place I'd rather be than right here. I'm right here, and so is Mom. We're not going to let anything happen."

"Ok." The boy's hazel eyes closed, and after a few minutes, his breathing evened out.

"I wondered how long that would take, once we got the Tylenol into his system." Fitzgerald commented. He then repeated the application of the bandage solution, and having to replace the applicator several times before he finally closed the bottle of solution, and looked up at everyone. "Ok. We're done. Let's get him back upstairs to his room, and he can sleep this little misadventure off."

The adults laughed at the doctor's phrasing.

"Don't you want to wait until the bandaging has set, Dr Fitzgerald?" Horatio asked, looking down at the youngster.

"Most of it already is, Lt, and what is not will be before we even get halfway to the elevator." Fitzgerald explained.

They covered Stevie with a light blanket, then released the brakes on the gurney. Horatio helped Dr Fitzgerald to steer the gurney down the hall as they retraced their path back up to the ward, and into Stevie's room. When they got there, they found a young man waiting for them.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter 36

"There you are, Mr Wolfe." Horatio commented. "I take it you didn't have any problems finding us."

The brunette younger man shook his head. "Nope, no problems, H." He pointed to the bed. "Is this Stevie, our victim from the Events Center Robbery?"

"Yes, it is, Mr Wolfe." Horatio confirmed.

"Ryan." Calleigh called him. When he turned around, she indicated the woman standing beside her. "This is Stevie's Mom, Jessica Douglas." Turning to Jessica, Calleigh added. "Jess, this is Ryan Wolfe. We also work with Ryan. He became part of the team after Speed was killed."

Jessica nodded, then held her hand out to Ryan. "It's my pleasure to meet you, Mr Wolfe." She told him.

He shook her hand in return. "Please, just Ryan. I'm still having a hard time, just getting him to say it." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder toward Horatio. "Speaking of which, H." He added, as he watched them transfer Stevie from the gurney back to his hospital bed, then covered the boy back up with the sheet and blanket. "You said something about having something you needed my help with?"

Horatio nodded. "I do, Mr Wolfe. Do me a favor and go get the personnel records for Stevie's PT, Dennis Miller. I'd be inclined to say start in the Hospital HR, but I think you'll ultimately end up in the Therapy Administrative Offices on the 3rd floor." He told the younger man.

"No problem, H." Ryan started to walk out of the room, then turned back. "Oh, yeah. Just a reminder. We need to head out at about 10:30, or so, to be in time over at the Events Center to talk to the cleaning staff."

Horatio nodded. "I haven't forgotten, but thank you for the reminder."

"You're welcome." Ryan told the older man. "Be back ASAP."

Once Ryan was gone, Horatio took a look at the three ladies. "If you three want to go get something to eat, now's the time. I'll stay here with Stevie."

"You sure, Handsome?" Calleigh asked after she traded a quick look with Alexx.

Alexx added. "Horatio, you need to eat something too, Honey."

He grinned up at his M.E. "I know, 'Mom'. I will, I promise."

The three women laughed at him.After the laughter died down, Horatio added. "Seriously, I have every intention of getting something to eat, but I want the three of you to get out of here and go get something. Stevie's asleep, and will be for awhile. When he does wake up, I want to make sure that he's ok after the treatment, this morning. I don't think any of us really realized just how scared he was."

Jessica shook her head. "I'm sorry, Horatio. No, I didn't realize just how scared he actually was, and I, of all people, should have. I'm his mother, for crying out loud. I would have said something if I had seen it."

"Jess, try not to beat yourself up too much over it." Calleigh wrapped her arm around her best friend's shoulders. "I think Stevie's been taking lessons from Horatio, and I think this was one of them. I didn't see it either."

Horatio continued to look down at the floor, but looked up when Alexx replied. "Don't be blaming Horatio for this ladies. With what little I know about Stevie, I think it was really just a case of that he didn't want to worry either one of you, or Horatio, and that's why he didn't say anything about how scared he was. He didn't want to worry you, or let you down."

Alexx shifted into Mom-style 'take over' mode. "Ok, ladies. Grab purses, or jackets. Let's get out of here. Go to the little ladies room if you need to." While Jessica and Calleigh moved to do what she had asked, Alexx knelt in front of Horatio, and met his eyes. She could see how much he was worried about the little boy, and how much he was feeling guilty over his apparent 'lessons' to Stevie. "Horatio, don't take on what they said. You also never saw how scared the little guy was. He tried to bluff his way past you, too. The fear was just too much, though. He got through it though, with your help. Fitzgerald would had to have put him under general anesthetic, if you hadn't been there. You do realize this, don't you?"

Horatio nodded. "I know, Alexx, but I should still have seen how scared he was. I was petrified when they did it to me, and the only thing I could do was to attempt to be brave for Ray's sake. Even then, they had to give me a general. I fought them so hard, not even Ray could talk me past the fear. My heart rate, my blood pressure, all of it, went right through the roof. Also, I was older then than Stevie is now, too. Alexx, I should have been paying attention. I should have seen how scared he was."

Alexx thought about it for a few minutes, as she stared off into space, thinking about how best to answer the red head. "Horatio, please don't take all of this on your shoulders. You heard Jessica and Calleigh. None of us saw just how scared the little guy was. You were the one who kept his mind off the fear, the worry, and the pain. It needed to be you, as the only other man in his life that he trusts. If by chance Dr Fitzgerald has to do another treatment, maybe Stevie will feel confident enough or, at least brave enough to go solo. If not, we'll know."

Just as Horatio was about to answer her, Jessica and Calleigh came back into the room."Ok, Alexx, ready whenever you are." Calleigh told her.

Horatio slipped a motion to Alexx to let her know to let their conversation go. Alexx nodded, as she stood up, letting him know that she understood.

"You sure we can't bring you something, Honey?" Alexx asked.

Horatio shook his head with a grin. "No, thank you, Alexx. I'm fine. I can wait until later."

"Ok." Alexx replied uncertainly. "We'll be back as quickly as we can."

"Take your time, ladies. Don't hurry back on my account." Horatio realized what he said, then changed it to. "Actually, Mr Wolfe and I will need to leave here for the Events Center by about 10:30, so if you could be back by then,……"

Calleigh and Alexx laughed at that. "Don't worry, Handsome. We will." Calleigh replied as the three women walked out of the room and down the hall.

Horatio leaned his head back until it rested against the wall, still smiling at the women's antics. He turned to look over at the bed, his smile fell slightly as he thought. _Well, now, Stevie, if I've taught you that lesson, maybe I can teach you how to admit it when you are scared. You do realize that being scared isn't a crime, don't you?_


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter 37

Downstairs, Ryan had made his way to the Hospital Human Resources offices. He walked in to the offices and unclipped his badge from his belt.

A light brown headed, young woman, who had been sitting at her desk, had seen him come in, and had gotten up from her desk, and approached Ryan from her side of the counter. "May I help you, sir?"

"Yes, ma'am." Ryan felt this eerie feeling, knowing that Horatio would be the one to use the terms 'ma'am' and 'sir'. "My name is Ryan Wolfe, and I'm with the Miami Dade Police Department. I'm going to need a copy of the file for one Dennis Miller, he's a therapist here at the hospital."

"I do apologize, Officer Wolfe, but those records are kept in the Therapy Department Administrative offices, which will be on the 3rd floor."

"Third floor, Therapy Administrative offices." He asked to confirm. When she nodded, he turned back to the door. "Ok, thank you."

He walked out into the hallway, and made his way to the elevators. He stepped into the car, then pressed the 3rd floor button. When the car stopped at that floor, he got off, and looked around for a moment, trying to get his bearings. Ryan noticed a 'direction tree' on one corner of the hall, with the arrows pointing down the hall to the Therapy Administrative Offices. He opened the door, and stepped into the office. One of the secretaries, a mid height blonde lady with hazel eyes, noticed him and got up from behind her desk.

"Good afternoon, sir. May I help you?"

"Yes, please." Ryan replied. He showed her his badge. "My name is Ryan Wolfe, and I'm with Miami Dade Police Department. We need the file for Dennis Miller, please?"

"I'm sorry, Officer Wolfe, but that would not be possible, without a warrant. We are quite committed to our patient's as well as our staff's security and privacy."

"Really?" Ryan asked, feeling his suspicions go up. _H is right, there's definitely something very hinky going on here._ "Ok. I mean, I can come back with a warrant, if you really need me to, but if I do, that warrant will give me all that I need in order to turn this department upside down and inside out. If you were as concerned as you claim to be about your patients' privacy and security, you never would have hired Dennis in the first place. His is the only record we want, at least for now." He thought about it for a moment, then added. "Actually, I take that back. We're also going to want a list of the other Therapists.

"Just then, another woman came in to the office. She wore a dark brown skirted woman's business suit, and had auburn hair and blue eyes. "What's going on, Rachel?" She asked.

The other woman turned to her. "Mrs Menendez, this is Ryan Wolfe, he's with the Police Department, and he's asking for Dennis Miller's file, as well as a list of all of our therapists.

"The office supervisor continued to walk up to Ryan, offering her hand. "Officer Wolfe."

He shook her hand.

She continued. "You have to understand, Officer. We hold a sacred trust with our patients that we will see them through whatever injury has brought them to our Rehab Center, and show them that, although their injury may have been life threatening, and life altering, that life can continue. As a result, we place a very high value on their security, and their privacy. I'm afraid that I'm not at liberty to give you the information that you want, at least not without a warrant."

Ryan nodded, and tried to tap into his impressions of Horatio. When he looked back up, and over to the office supervisor, his head was in fact tilted in an 'H' style tilt. "I applaud your reasoning, and your ethics, Mrs Menendez, but I will tell you the same thing I told Rachel. If you really want me to come back with a warrant, I can, but when I do, that warrant will be so complete that we will be able to, and we will take full advantage of the proverbial microscope that this department would then be under, and there really is no way of telling how long our research could take. It could take weeks to complete. If you value your patients nearly as much as you say, you wouldn't have hired Dennis in the first place." Ryan was only partially satisfied with the shocked look on the supervisor's face, and added what he thought was the final nail in their coffin. "If you would be so kind, though, and give me the information that I want, I won't have to bring my supervisor, Lt Caine down here. He would not be happy if I were to tell him that I'm having an unusually difficult time in getting some basic information that we need for an ongoing investigation." Ryan fought not to smile at the ghost white expression on the supervisor's face.

"Do you mean Lt Horatio Caine of the Crime Lab?" She asked.

"Yes, ma'am, I do." Ryan confirmed.

Without so much as blinking an eye, Mrs Menendez turned back to Rachel, and said. "Get him the information he wants, Rachel, but only make him copies. We need the originals here."

"Yes, ma'am." Rachel replied.

"Thank you." Ryan added.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter 38

Across town, Eric walked into the Auto Theft department again. "Detective Montoya, it's showtime." He called out.

The Hispanic detective had been sitting with his partner at their desks, looking at some paperwork, when he heard Eric call him. He looked over at his partner and held out his hand. "It's been nice working with you."

"You too, partner. We'll see you back here in a couple of days though."

"I don't know." Montoya replied uncertainly. "I hope so, but I don't quite know what these two have in mind."

The blonde chuckled. "You should survive."

Montoya quirked a grin. "Funny." He picked up a file from his desk and walked over to Eric. "Ok. Let's go."

Eric held out his hand. "Is that the file from your surveillance of the Chop Shop?"

Montoya sighed. "Yes, just as Lt Caine requested." He put the file in Eric's outstretched hand.

Eric took the file and opened it. He flipped through several of the photos and saw Stevie's van in several of them, very clearly showing Kevin Miller getting out of the van's driver side, and shaking hands with Daniel Tanaka. "Excellent." They walked back out of the department, toward the elevators. He pulled his cell phone and speed dialed someone, then put the phone to his ear. "Yeah, Frank, it's Eric…….no everything's fine……..listen….Horatio asked for you to please bring Kevin Miller back in. He said something about that he had some more questions for the guy……..No, he's hip deep in the robbery, and now we have the proof…….No, I'll show you when I get back. I have an errand I need to run for H. Be back as soon as I can……..Yup. Bye." He closed his phone and put it in his pocket.

They climbed into the Hummer and Eric drove around to the Police Impound Yard to find a tow truck waiting. Eric turned to Det Montoya.

"Wait here. I'll be right back." He jumped out of the Hummer, and walked around to the driver's side of the tow truck.

"Hey, there, Dylan. What's going on?" Eric asked, as he shook the caucasian man's hand.

"Not much." Dylan told him, as he returned the hand shake. "What about you?"

Eric beckoned his friend to follow him. "Things are ok. I do need you to do me kind of a favor, though." The two men walked through the impound yard, and stopped at Stevie's and Jessica's van. "Please tow this van to this address." Eric wrote something on a piece of paper and passed it to his friend.

Dylan looked down at the paper. "Where is this?"

"This is the address of another friend of mine who has a new car dealership." Eric explained. "I'll be following you in my Hummer. When we get there, I'll have a better idea of where you're going to set it down."

"_No problemo, muchacho_." Dylan replied as he looked at the address again. He put the piece of paper in his pocket. "Let me go get the truck and we'll get this show on the road."

Dylan went out to the tow truck and drove it through the front gate and around to where the van was parked. He moved the van to the bed of the tow truck and secured it, then turned to Eric. "Ok, _ese_. You can follow me, or I'll follow you, and we'll meet back at the car dealership of your friend."

"That sounds like a plan. You follow me. I know where the place is." Eric told him. Eric turned and walked out of the yard, as his friend climbed back into the cab of the tow truck.

They drove through town over to the car dealership.Eric pulled over and parked the Hummer on the street. He turned to Det Montoya. "Come with me." He walked over to the tow truck and told his friend. "I'll be right back."

Eric and Det Montoya walked into the Dealership offices and around to Miguel Ramirez's office. Eric knocked on the door. The door opened and Eric's friend Miguel stood there."Hey, there, _miho_. You brought the van?"

Eric nodded. "Yup. Come outside with me. You can take a look at it."

Dylan brought the van off the bed of the tow truck, as Miguel gathered several men to move the van into an empty bay near the other end of the building. The men, working together, moved the van.

Miguel turned to Eric. "Who's this?" He asked as he indicated Eric's companion."This is Det Montoya. He was not paying attention when on a surveillance of the Chop Shop and allowed the van, which was being driven by one of the perps of the Events Center robbery to sell the van to the Chop Shop owner, and now Lt Caine wants to show him the results of what the Chop Shop people did to it." Eric explained.

"Lt Caine also wanted him to be involved with the renovations to the van, so that hopefully he will understand the ramifications of making this mistake again."

The dealership owner suppressed a smile. "I think I'll be able to help teach him that lesson."

Eric grinned as well. "I thought you'd say that. We'd really appreciate that. Lt Caine did also say that if he becomes difficult to get along with or anything, to give him a call."

"I can do that." He replied.

"Ok." Eric looked around. "I'm going to head on out of here. If you have any questions or need any kind of clarification, don't hesitate to give either of us a call."

"I will."

Eric stopped next to Montoya. "I'm going to go back to the lab. If you need to come get your car and can't get a ride, give me a call."

"I will." Det Montoya told him.

"Ok." Eric walked back over to his friend the tow truck driver. "Hey, give me a bill for what we owe you for the tow, Dylan, and I'll run it by my boss."

"Ok." The tow truck driver writes on a tow bill for just a moment, then tore it off and handed it to Eric. In big bold letters, the bill read, 'One tow, bill paid in full.' and had a big fat '0' on it.

Eric also pulled a 'Horatio' and cracked a grin, as his head ducked. After a moment he looked back up at his friend. "Are you sure about this?" He asked.

The tow truck driver nodded. "I'm positive. Just catch the bum who did this, and we'll call it even. Besides, it's one less I owe you, _muchacho_." He chuckled.

Eric also chuckled. "Ok. Thanks again, for all your help, Dylan. I'll call you later, and maybe we can go diving over the weekend."

"Sure." He got in his truck and drove away.

Eric also climbed back into his Hummer, and chuckled as he shook his head, then started the truck and drove his way back to the lab.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter 39

In Stevie's room, up at the hospital, Horatio sat in a chair, as he waited for the youngster to wake up. A few minutes later, Stevie's eyes slowly blinked open. Horatio got up and came over to the bed.

"Stevie?" When the youngster still appeared to have difficulties waking up, Horatio called to him again. "Stevie? Come on, partner, time to wake up."

The youngster's eyes stayed open this time, and he took a minute to check out his surroundings. "Hey, H."

Horatio cracked a grin at him. "Hey, there, yourself, partner. How're you feeling?" He asked the youngster.

The brunette youngster attempted to shift in bed, but stopped abruptly. "Dr Fitzgerald wasn't kidding about how I would feel when the Tylenol wore off."

Horatio looked at him, concerned. "Do you need another one?"

Stevie looked up, a look of embarrassment combined with hope flitted across his face. "Well, I wanted to stay awake for awhile, but no, I really don't want to be in this much pain."

Horatio cracked a grin. "I can understand that, partner. Let me see what I can do, ok?" He told the boy. He got up and turned toward the door, just as Andi walked in.

"Hey there, boys. What's going on?" Andi asked.

Andi and Stevie shared an amused grin, as Horatio ducked his head, with a slight tinge to his face.

"H, you've never been referred to as 'one of the boys' before?" Stevie asked.

Horatio chuckled. "It was awhile ago, Stevie. Mom used to call us 'boys' when we were kids, and Dr Alexx sometime calls us her 'boys'.

Stevie laughed. "Even you, H?"

Horatio also laughed. "Especially me. I was the first of her 'boys' on the team."

Stevie nodded. "Dr Alexx would make a great Mom."

"Her kids probably think so." A voice replied from near the door.

Horatio turned and looked and saw Ryan standing near the door. He beckoned the younger man closer, as he told Stevie. "This is Ryan Wolfe, Stevie. He's the last member of the team that I wanted to meet you." He looked at Ryan. "Mr Wolfe, this is Stevie Douglas. Our victim of the Events Center robbery. His was the van that was stolen by the robbers, that in turn, was sold to the Chop Shop."

Ryan nodded, then turned to the youngster, as he held his hand out. "Hi there, Stevie. It's my pleasure to meet you."

Stevie shook the younger man's hand. "Same here, Mr Ryan."

Ryan looked over to Horatio, and quirked an eyebrow. "He's going to fit in just fine with our motley crew."

Horatio ducked quickly, but not quickly enough that Ryan and Stevie could not see the twinkle in his eyes. After a couple of minutes, Horatio looked back up at the two mischief makers, and winked in Ryan's direction. "I think you might be right, Mr Wolfe, just please don't give him any ideas."

Ryan snapped his fingers. "Dog gone it, boss. You just ruined all my fun, again."

The laughter from all parties slowly calmed down."You wouldn't be the one to have to deal with 'the Mom's', afterwards either, Mr….. Ryan."

"Mr Ryan, wait….Don't make me laugh, it hurts." Stevie told the men.

"Stevie, did you need another Tylenol?" Andi asked.

"H was just trying to leave to get me some when you walked in, Andi." The youngster replied. "What I had told him was that although I would prefer to be able to stay awake for awhile, I really don't want to be in this much pain, either. Dr Fitz wasn't kidding when he said that I would be uncomfortable, after the treatment."

"Ok, Stevie. Let me go tell Dr Fitzgerald, and see what he says, and I'll be right back, ok?"

"Sure, Andi. I'm not going anywhere, at least not yet." The youngster told her.

Andi chuckled as she walked to the door. She almost bumped into Alexx, who was coming in. "Uh oh, boys. You have to be good now. The 'Moms' are back." She told them.

Horatio snapped his fingers, and muttered a "Rats." that put the three of them in stitches again, then they high-fived each other.

Alexx walked over to stand by the bed next to Horatio. Her eyebrow climbed into her hair as she looked from one guy to the other, then finally to the boy in the bed. She leaned over him, and ran her fingers through his hair as she gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. "Hey, there, Stevie. How're you feeling, Honey?"

"I'm ok, Dr Alexx, but I'm sort of uncomfortable. Andi just went to see if she can find me a low dose Tylenol that will kill the pain, but let me stay awake for a little while."

"Ok." Alexx replied looking from Horatio to Ryan and back again. "Why do the two of you look like you just got caught with your hand in the proverbial cookie jar? What exactly did you do?" She put her hands on her hips in a very good imitation of Horatio.

Suddenly, Stevie started giggling again. "You weren't kidding, H. She's not a Mom you'd mess with."

Alexx looked pointedly at Horatio, her eyebrows climbed into her hair.

Horatio put his hands out, as if he were trying to stop an advance. "Wait a minute, 'Mom'. We were just comparing notes, that's all. We were just telling Stevie about how you take care of all of us, and how you have at one time or another, me included and about how it felt like you were our adopted Mom." Horatio looked up at her hopefully.

She stopped her advance, and realized the extent of what both Horatio and Ryan were saying to her. Horatio, especially had lost his parents at a very young age, and had been forced to grow up far too quickly. She also knew that, although he never directly demonstrated it, he thought of the entire team as his family, and that they were his surrogate family, to make up for having lost his biological family so quickly, and so traumatically. She also knew that Ryan did not get along with his parents, who had been against him becoming a CSI in the first place, but that he had somehow managed to keep in contact with his brothers and sisters and that both men viewed the team as family to replace the biological family that 'fate' and circumstances had stolen from them. To be called 'Mom', even in a joking light, by either man, was testament to what they really thought about her, she knew, and just exactly how much either of them valued their relationship with her.

She looked from Horatio, to Ryan, and back again several times. She also knew not to look over at Calleigh, because she knew that those same sentiments would be on the young woman's face, as well. She cleared her throat for the lump in it, as she turned back to Stevie. "Is that why I wish that I could bend you all over my knee occasionally? Even you, Horatio?" She asked, teasingly.

Horatio ducked his head from the attention, and out of the corner of his eye, noticed that Ryan was looking anywhere he needed to in order to get away from Alexx's 'mother mode' glare.

Alexx turned back to Stevie, as she wrapped one arm around the red head's shoulders. "Actually, Stevie. Horatio hasn't had a mom around for a very long time, and Mr Ryan doesn't get along with his mom anymore, so both of them forget once in awhile what it's like to have somebody worry about them or want to take care of them, like a mom would, and they need the reminder, but for the most part, though, they're actually pretty good boys." She very quickly realized that the t-shirt that the red head was wearing was still damp. "Speaking of which, young man….." She said to Horatio. "Shouldn't you be thinking about hopping into a hot shower? You're going to give yourself pneumonia doing this." She pulled at the shoulder of his t-shirt.


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Just as Horatio was about to respond, Dr Fitzgerald came into the room with the nurse, Andi. "Hey, there, Stevie. How're you feeling, young man?"

"Hey, there, Dr Fitz. You weren't kidding when you said that I would feel the treatment when the Tylenol wore off. I really would like to stay awake for a little while longer, but I am kind of uncomfortable."

Fitzgerald chuckled at that. "I can understand why you would be, Stevie. I actually did quite a bit to you. Luckily you didn't feel most of it."

That surprised Stevie. "I didn't feel most of it, and I'm still this uncomfortable?"

Fitzgerald sighed deeply, knowing that the youngster really wasn't going to like this. "Exactly. I know that you want to be awake for a while longer, but I would really prefer that we knock you out. You're in enough pain that it may start to affect both blood pressure and heart rate, if we don't get it down, soon."

Stevie also sighed. "I kind of can tell, Dr. Fitz. Although it's not really ok, go ahead and knock me out." He turned to Horatio and Ryan. "I'm sorry, guys. I was going to try to stay awake for awhile, but, no such luck." He shrugged.

"No worries, Stevie. We can get into mischief when you're feeling better." Ryan told him. He leaned in to the youngster and whispered. "We can get away from the Moms for awhile, and find something to get into."

"Absolutely." Horatio was quick to agree.

Ryan stood up and looked at Horatio. He winked toward the older man, as he stepped away from the bed.

"Stevie, I know that you don't particularly like it, but it's better to sleep it off than to potentially cause additional harm by staying awake." Horatio told him quickly. "And you don't have anything to be sorry for. We'll have plenty of time to do almost anything you might want, once you're better. The 'Moms' can have some time alone, and we can find Mr Eric, and Det Tripp and go find some mischief, somewhere, to get into, ok?"

The youngster cracked a shy grin. "Ok, H. I also know that you guys have to get back to the lab, at least for a little while, today." He turned to look at Calleigh and his Mom. "Did you get her away for a little bit of something to eat, Aunt Calleigh."

"We sure did, sweetheart. Mom and Dr Alexx and I got away this morning for a little bit of breakfast. We sat and talked, and had a good time."

Stevie continued to grin. "That's good. What did you have, Mom?"

Jessica told him. "French Toast with some strawberries and cream, juice, and coffee."

Stevie groaned. "You are making me hungry. We haven't had French Toast in only like forever. I could so go for a strawberry milk shake right about now, too."

Jessica laughed. "Ok, Stevie. Your first morning home, I promise to make you a home cooked breakfast."

"Uh huh, Mom." Stevie argued.

The other adults looked at each other, confused, except for Horatio, who thought he knew where the youngster was going.

"What do you mean uh huh?" She asked.

Stevie floored all of them. "I don't want it to be at the apartment. I want it to be in our house. The new one, after the renovations. The first morning in the new house, with a new day, and a new sun. For a new beginning."

Every one, that it, except Horatio. The women looked from one to the other, with shocked looks on their faces. Ryan also looked a bit surprised, but Horatio put that to the fact that the younger man was missing some parts of the story. Horatio looked down at Stevie, and nodded slightly to him, and winked.


	41. Chapter 41

Hey, gang. Sorry for the break between posts. RL can be such a pain sometimes. Anyway, I hope to be better about it, at least for a few more chapters. LOL.

Chapter 41

Fitzgerald chuckled as he shook his head. "Ok, Stevie. I'm going to have Andi start another IV and we'll get you some Tylenol, so that, hopefully, you won't be quite so uncomfortable. I also want her to take a small amount of blood so that we can do a WBC count, ok?"

"Ok, Dr Fitz. Thanks a lot." Stevie told the doctor. When it appeared that Horatio was going to move, Stevie quickly put his hand out, to grip the older man by the forearm. "Don't go anywhere, H. Please?"

"I wasn't going to, Stevie. I was just getting comfortable. Don't worry." He told the youngster with a grin.

Fitzgerald turned to Andi. "I'll be right back with the Tylenol, Andi." He explained as he left.

"Thank you, Dr Fitzgerald." The blonde nurse replied. Looking down at Stevie, she asked. "Do you want me to take the blood first, Stevie, or do you want me to run the I.V. first?"

Stevie thought about it for just a moment. "I don't really think it matters, Andi. Let's just do it and get it over with."

Andi nodded. "Ok, Stevie. I get it." She grabbed the stuff for the blood sample to be taken, and turned back to the youngster. "Where do you want the I.V., Stevie?"

"Well, I'm right handed, so probably in the left." He told her."Ok, so I'm getting the blood sample out of the right, ok?" She explained.

Stevie nodded. "Ok."

Andi moved the rolling table next to the bed, between Stevie and Horatio.

"Hey, Alexx, could you do me a favor and come over here. Stand on the other side of the bed and hold his other hand." The red head asked.

"Sure." Alexx walked around to the other side of the bed. She picked up the youngster's hand. "You'll be ok, Stevie. It'll be over before you know it."

"I know, Dr Alexx. I'm sorry for being such a big baby, gang." His head ducked, embarrassed.

"Stevie, Honey, you're not being a baby, big or any other size." Alexx was quick to try to reassure him.

"Uh huh." Stevie replied, completely unconvinced. "Mr Ryan, what sort of a case did you get for your first case with the team?"

Ryan looked over at Calleigh, wondering how he should answer that question.

Calleigh cracked a grin and nodded. "You see, Stevie, my father had an accident one night, as he drove home and he wasn't sure if he had hurt someone. He had been drinking and he said that he didn't remember what happened….." Calleigh began the story.

Horatio smoothly picked it up. "….We needed someone to investigate who didn't know either Aunt Calleigh, or her Dad. Mr Eric and I met Mr Ryan at a Crime Scene. He really impressed us at how thorough he was, even as just a patrol officer. Mr Ryan talked to my sister-in-law, who at the time was the Homicide detective that worked with us. He asked her to try to put in a good word for him with me. I asked him to come in to talk with him for a few minutes and I had mostly decided to hire him, then when I realized that I needed someone impartial to help with the investigation, I hired him completely and asked him to work on the case."

Ryan continued with the story. "With Aunt Calleigh's and Det Tripp's help, we were able to prove that, although, yes, Aunt Calleigh's Dad did, in fact, have an accident, no, he had not killed or injured anyone. Thank goodness. My first case with the team sure was a challenge. Even though everyone else was hip-deep in the other case, we were still able to get this squared away."

"It sounds like it." Stevie commented.

In the meantime Andi tied the rubber band around his arm, just above the youngster's inner elbow. Andi swabbed his inner elbow and picked up the empty syringe and removed the cover from the needle. "Ok, Stevie. You might feel a prick."

"Ok, Andi." Stevie replied, as he turned away from her, and closed his eyes.

When she poked him with the needle, his eyes blinked. He opened his eyes and looked over at what she was doing.

"See, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Andi asked the youngster.

Stevie cracked a grin and shook his head wordlessly. "Dr Fitz said that this was to check my white blood cell count."

She nodded. "That's right, Stevie."

"To make sure that the cleansing treatment did it's thing and is killing the infection?" Stevie asked.

Andi nodded again.

Horatio patted the boy's hand that he was holding. "That's right, Stevie. Dr Fitzgerald just wants to make sure that the infection is going down."

"I know, H." The boy sighed. "I just hope that he gets a positive result."

Fitzgerald walked back into the room with a bottle and a syringe. "We'll definitely get a positive result, Stevie, the question is to what degree."

"I hope so, Dr Fitz." The youngster repeated.

Andi pulled the needle out of the youngster's arm and applied a cotton ball and a band-aid over the needle mark. "Leave that on for awhile, Stevie." She told him.

"Ok."

Andi released the breaks on the rolling table and moved it toward the doctor. He smiled and set the bottle and the syringe on it, then maneuvered it around the bed. She stopped long enough to label the vial of blood and set in the lab caddie, then moved the table between Stevie and Alexx.

When Alexx attempted to step away, Stevie gripped her hand tighter.

"Wait, Dr Alexx."

Alexx patted the hand she held. "Stevie, you have Horatio right over here, ok? Andi needs your whole hand to put the I.V. in. I'll just be in the way."

The youngster sighed. "I know. You're right. I'm sorry."

As Alexx stepped away, Horatio replied. "There's no reason for you to be sorry, Stevie. You're fine. I'm not going anywhere."

Andi tied the rubber band around the boy's forearm. "Ok, Steve, please put your forearm up here, with your hand down."

Stevie laid his arm on the table.

"Good. Did you want one of those stabilizers under your hand?" Andi asked.

"Yes, please." Stevie told her.

"Ok." Andi got one out of her supplies. "Ok, Stevie, I'll try to make this as quick as I can. Please try to stay as relaxed as you can."

The youngster grinned. "I'll try Andi."

She smiled at him, then looked over at Horatio. When he nodded, she turned back to Stevie, and inserted the needle.

When Stevie flinched, Horatio squeezed his other hand. "Squeeze my hand, Stevie. You're ok, partner." Horatio instantly felt the pressure on his hand increase.

"I know, H. I'm sorry." Stevie told the red head, his little voice betraying what he was feeling.

Horatio looked confused. "Why, Stevie? You haven't done anything wrong. Those things hurt. No body likes getting a shot. Dr Alexx will tell you, none of us on the team like them either, and we, at least, understand them."

Alexx chuckled. "Especially him, Stevie. You would think that with all the time Horatio has been in the hospital, that he would have developed a tolerance for them, but no such luck."

Horatio ducked his head, that shy grin coming out. "You would think so. " He agreed.

"Don't worry Stevie. You're fine." Andi told him as she put the first piece of tape in place. She attached the bag of medicine and hung it on the I.V. tree between the bed and the wall. She finished taping the I.V. to the boy's hand, and picked up the stabilizer. She used medical cloth tape to tape his arm to the stabilizer. She patted his arm gently as she told him. "You did just fine, Stevie. You've been a great trooper. I'm going to put some of the Tylenol into your I.V. You're going to get sleepy, so just go with it and sleep it off, ok?"

"I know, Andi. I will. I'm sorry to be so much trouble."

Horatio patted the youngster's arm. "You're not being any trouble, Stevie." He watched as Andi filled the syringe with the liquid medication, then turned to the I.V. She injected the medication into the I.V. through the primary opening. Once the syringe is empty, Andi picked up both of the used syringes and put them in the Sharps container, then, picked up the garbage and put it in the garbage can. She walked around to the side of the bed where Horatio sat and clipped the button to the youngster's pillow. "Ok, Stevie, you're all set. If you need a nurse, or anything, your Call button is right here, ok?"

"Ok, Andi. Thanks a lot." Stevie told her, as his eyes blinked closed for just a minute.

Andi looked down at Horatio, who looked at the youngster. He looked back up at Andi, and nodded.

"Yes, ma'am. We're just fine. Thank you very much for all your help."She smiled and nodded at the red head. As Andi walked past Horatio, she patted him lightly on the shoulder, then walked out of the door.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter 42

Horatio turned to Stevie and told the youngster. "I know you were concerned about the cleansing, Stevie, but you handled it like a real trooper. You did very well. I'm proud of you, partner."

The youngster chuckled. "Only because I had you to back me up, partner. It wouldn't have worked nearly as well as it did. I didn't want to worry anybody, but I was quaking in my boots and I weren't even wearing none."

The adults laughed at his joke."I rather suspected as much, Stevie." Horatio turned so that he was facing the youngster and he crawled into bed with Stevie. He laid his ear against the boy's chest, and wrapped his arms around Stevie's torso. "I'll be here to back you up, partner, for however long you need me."

Stevie looked down at the red head. "Yeah, but what happens when you need someone to back you up, partner?" He asked himself. "You'll be out there all alone with no backup. What'll happen then?"

Horatio heard him though, and looked up. "I'll have you, or Mr Eric, or Mr Ryan, or Aunt Calleigh, or Dr Alexx, or Det Tripp with me. Stevie, I'll never be out there alone with no back up at all." When the youngster looked at him, confused, Horatio continued. "Stevie, there's something I'm going to tell you, that I've never told anybody, except Dr Alexx, and I need you to keep this just between us, ok?"

The boy nodded.

Horatio continued. "Ok. I know I've mentioned my brother, right?" Stevie nodded again. "Ok, well one time, I was in the hospital. Mom and Dad were both dead, and it was just Ray and I. Well, the doctors insisted on doing one of those cleansing treatments on me. Like with you, it was the only way to kill the infection in my body..…….."

Stevie interrupted the story. "Is that why you wore a tshirt into the tank, with your swim trunks, because you're as badly cut up as I am?"

"I'm actually a bit worse than you are, Stevie." Horatio told the boy. Thankful that Alexx or Calleigh had not suggested to tell him exactly why, Horatio continued the story. "But, yes, that's why I also wore a tshirt in the tank too. I understand why you don't want anyone to see what you look like. I don't either."

"Also, how you knew about that nightmare that I'd had the other day too?"

"That's right, Stevie." Horatio admitted. "Anyway, at first I thought I was going to be ok with it, and that I wouldn't get too scared, but the closer we got to the time that the doctors were going to do the cleansing, the more worried and scared I got. I didn't want to worry Ray, because I knew that I was the only family he had left, and I didn't want him to think I was going to die, or anything. When we got down to the room with the tank in it, I freaked out, badly, and Ray did too. Doctor Rogers finally knocked me out with a general anesthetic, and put me in the tank. They said, later, they had to really talk fast to keep Ray from freaking out completely and to explain very carefully what they were going to do to me, and to remind him that I really was going to be ok. Of course, everything turned out fine, but the psychologists from Family Services were really worried about how well we would do if we ended up in separate homes or anything. I managed to keep us together though, and everything turned out fine. Now, whenever I get worried or scared of something, I stop and compare it to that, whether or not the current situation is scarier than the cleansing and most of the time, back then still scared me more than the current situation. When you get older, I think you'll find that to be the case as well. Adults can handle things that worry or scare them a lot better than kids can, so even if you think you might scare us or worry us, you still need to tell us. As adults we can help take care of whatever it is, and when you get to be older, you'll be able to do that for someone too."

The youngster looked embarrassed. "I know, H. It's just that how am I supposed to help back you up, if anything happened when I haven't been in a pool or a workout room for several days. I couldn't even get myself out of a wet paper sack right now."

Horatio chuckled. "It may feel that way now, Stevie, but you're in the hospital for awhile. Dr Fitzgerald isn't going to let you go home again until you can. Even if it is just a little bit, ok?" He told the youngster, then added his own confidence into the mix. "Hopefully not anytime soon, but one of these days, I may really need your help, and when that day comes, I know, without any doubt at all, that you'll be there and will be able to back me up, and help me out, ok?"

Stevie wrapped both of his arms around the red head's shoulders, then after a moment, ran his hand several times through Horatio's hair, as he seemingly marveled at the color. "I hope so, partner. I don't want this to be such a one-sided friendship. You're a terrific best friend. You've talked me past nightmares and insecurities and, like with the cleansing, helped me face my fears to get on with it, but it feels like I haven't done anything for you."

"Yes, you have, Stevie." Horatio was quick to tell the youngster. "You've helped me to forget how much I miss my real family, and you've helped me to remember that I have this self made family around me all the time and how important it is to not ever take them for granted."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, H." Ryan spoke up. "It's getting close to time to head for the Events Center."

"Thank you, Mr Ryan." Horatio replied, with a grin. "Ok, I think that's enough for you, young man. I want you to close your eyes, now, and go to sleep. Dr Fitzgerald wanted you to sleep this off, remember?"

Stevie rolled his eyes. "I know, H." He then closed them. "Please, don't leave until I do, ok?"

"I wasn't going to, Stevie, I promise." The red head told him.

He continued to lay there, slightly against the youngster, with his ear to Stevie's heart. When the heartbeat slowed down, as well as the little hand through his hair slowed down, then ultimately stopped, Horatio lifted up slightly to look up at the youngster, only to find Stevie sound asleep. "Sleep with the Angels, little one. They'll take care of you, too."

Horatio very carefully extracted himself from the youngsters grip, as well as the bed. When Stevie didn't so much as move, he took a deep breath, then slowly let it out, turning it into a sigh. He turned, and walked straight into the concerned look of Alexx Woods.

"Horatio? Are you alright, Honey?" She asked.

"Of course, Alexx. I'm fine." Horatio attempted to step past her, but she moved to block him. When he looked questioningly at her, she asked.

"Are you sure, and don't give me that 'of course' business again." She told him.

Horatio chuckled softly. "Alexx, please, stop. It doesn't happen very often any more, and most of the time, I have the team around me, so that I have something to concentrate on. I'm fine, really. Now, I really have got to go. We have two witnesses at the Events Center to interview, and if we don't get a move on, we'll miss them again. Please?" He asked. She stepped aside, and he walked past her. He grabbed his duffle bag, and opened it. He pulled out the one empty plastic bag, as well as the one that had his clean work things in it. He turned to the blonde. "Calleigh, could you do me a favor? I'm going to run into the bathroom for a quick shower, when I holler, though, I would need my suit. Could you dig it out of my suit carrier, and pass it to me in the bathroom, please?"

"I can do that for you, Handsome." She promised.

"Thank you." He walked past her. Just as he got to the door, he remembered, and asked. "Anybody need the room first?" When everybody answered in the negative, he quirked a little grin, then replied. "I'll be right back."

Calleigh chuckled. "Don't get wet." She told him as the door closed. They could hear him laughing from inside the room.

After a very few short minutes, the door opened again, and he asked for his suit. When Calleigh passed it to him, she very quickly noted that he stood there in nothing but a towel. His eyebrow climbed into his hair, as he saw that she was beginning to blush, and he took his suit from her. When he stepped out, another very few minutes later, he wore pants and socks, and while his shirt was on, it wasn't buttoned up. He put everything away, then went back into the bathroom.

Ryan was only partially surprised by the look that passed among Calleigh, Jessica, and Alexx, after having recognized the looks that the red head got from all three women, even if Alexx was married.

When Horatio stepped out again, he looked like the business professional everyone knew him to be. As he put everything else away, he noticed the three women looking at him oddly. He held his jacket open, away from his body for just a moment, as he turned, slowly in place. "Well, ladies. Do I pass inspection?" He asked them as he put badge, gun, and ID in their respective places on his belt.

"Most definitely." Calleigh told him.

"Oh, yeah, baby, and then some." Alexx agreed.

"What's that phrase we used to like, Calleigh? Oh, yeah, 'extremely easy on the eyes." Jessica added her two cents worth.

He ducked his head, hopefully to escape the embarrassment, as he looked down at his cell phone. One message missed. He put his cell phone into his inner breast pocket of his jacket, then looked at the ladies. "Ok, Mr Wolfe and I are headed over to the Events Center, to interview the workers from the Janitorial service, then we will be headed back to the lab. If you want to wait a bit here, you can, but Andi put enough pain killer in that I.V. to keep him out, at least until morning. Once we leave the building, I'll be on my cell, if you need me."

"We'll see you back at the lab, boys. Please be careful." Alexx told them.

Horatio looked at Ryan and the two men turned back to Alexx. "Yes, 'Mom'." They replied together.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter 43

At Alexx's surprised look, the men laughed as they walked out of the room and down the hall, toward the elevator. They stepped in and Horatio pressed the button for the first floor. He pointed to the file in the younger man's hand.

"Is that Dennis' file?"

Ryan nodded. "Yes, it is, H."

"Did they give you a hard time?"

Ryan chuckled a little and shook his head. "Not too bad, but I did have to threaten the Therapy Administrator with you, though."

Horatio looked at the younger man in confusion. "You had to threaten them? With me?"

Ryan nodded. "Only a little, H. They kept trying to tell me that they couldn't give me the information that I wanted without a warrant. I told them that if they really wanted me to get a warrant that I could but that it would be so broad and far ranging that it would be similar to putting the department under the proverbial microscope and that you would personally conduct the investigation. They kept saying how the safety and the security of the patients and the staff was of paramount importance. I told them that if that were the case, that they would never have hired him in the first place. When I initially threatened them with you, I only used your rank and your last name, that was when the Administrative Supervisor asked me about your first name. I confirmed it for her, only after she gave it to me. She turned to the secretary that I had been talking to, and told her to make copies of Dennis' file as well as a list of all of their therapists."

The elevator stopped at the first floor and opened its door. The men stepped out, and as they walked toward the door, Horatio told Ryan.

"Good job, Mr Wolfe. They definitely wouldn't have liked it if I'd come down there."

Ryan smiled. "That's rather what I suspected, H, which, in essence, is what I told them.

They walked out of the building and approached the Hummer. As Horatio unlocked the passenger door, he told Ryan. "It sounds to me like you did just fine, Mr Wolfe."

"Thank you, H." Ryan replied as he opened the door of the Hummer and climbed in. He put the file into the glove box and buckled himself in.

As he walked around the Hummer, Horatio pulled out his cell phone and called into his voicemail box. The system informed him that he had one message to listen to, so he navigated his way around, and after a moment, Eric's voice came over the speaker.

"Hey, H, it's Eric. My friend was able to tow the you-know-what, you-know-where. I have the receipt for the tow when you come back. I've also asked Frank to pick up Kevin Miller for you. I'm in route back to the lab, now, so I'll see you there when you get back. Bye."

Horatio programmed the system to delete the voicemail, then put the phone back into his inside coat pocket. He unlocked the door and got in to the Hummer's driver's seat, and closed the door.

Horatio started the Hummer and slowly navigated his way out of the Hospital parking lot. Out on the street, he stopped for a red light. "I've meant to ask, Mr Wolfe. How's your Spanish?"

Ryan thought about it for a moment, then turned to look at the red head. "It's rusty, H. I'm not as fluent as I'd like to be. It still takes me a minute to switch the brain to Spanish."

Horatio offered what he hoped was an understanding grin, the younger man's direction as he pressed on the gas. "I understand, Mr Wolfe. The switch in the brain so that the 'translator' automatically kicks in, unfortunately takes nothing but time, to develop. You will get to the point where it happens automatically and instantaneously."

"I hope so, H." Ryan replied. "I'm not really comfortable with feeling like a complete goob."

Horatio laughed as he navigated the Hummer through the city streets. "I can understand that feeling. When I was first learning Spanish, I had a friend whose family was Hispanic. They were willing to help tutor me, but every once in a while they would forget. You want to talk about somebody who felt like a complete goob, especially next to a bunch of children? That's not any fun, let me tell you." He laughed at the memory.

Ryan laughed as well. "Uhm, no." He agreed.

Horatio parked the Hummer in the parking lot of the Events Center.

The men walked inside the building, just as Jeremy Markham walked out of his office.

"Mr. Markham." Ryan called after him.

The man turned. "Oh, hello Lt Caine. What can I do for you?"

Horatio told the man. "It was actually my partner, Officer Wolfe, that called you."

Markham turned pointedly to Ryan. "Yes, I spoke with you earlier. What can I do for you, Officer?"

"Yes, Mr Markham." Ryan replied. "You said earlier that the Janitorial service would be in today. Are they here?"

"Yes, sir. They are." Markham told them.

When he didn't add anything to that statement for a moment, Horatio shared a quick look with Ryan, then turned back to the office supervisor. "Mr. Markham, where would they be, in the building, at this moment?"

Markham thought about it for a minute, and looked at his watch. "They should be in the break room. Please follow me and I'll show you where it is."

Horatio and Ryan followed the man into the break room to see two Hispanic women cleaning the tables.

Both women looked up at the men's approach. They looked at each other, then the older woman asked. "Muy guapo?" _Hot?_

The younger woman looked at the men again, then turned to her coworker. "Sí. Muy guapo." _Yes. Very hot._

Having heard the exchange, Ryan turned to Horatio. "Were they talking about you or me, H?"

The red head shrugged his shoulders. "I hope it's you, but it's probably me."

Ryan studied Horatio for a moment, then cracked a grin. "You've had that comment made once or twice, haven't you, H?"

Horatio nodded slowly, trying not to blush. "Only once or twice. " He turned to Markham. "We'll take it from here, Mr Markham. Thank you for your assistance."

Markham shrugged, then turned and walked out.

The women watched him leave, then looked at each other as the officers approached.

"Buenas tardes, Señoritas." Horatio greeted them in Spanish. _Good afternoon, ladies._

"Sí, señor, buenas tardes, podemos ayudarle?" The older woman returned the greeting, also in Spanish. _Yes, sir. Good afternoon. May we help you?_

"Soy el Teniente Horatio Caine, y este es mi compañero, el official Ryan Wolfe. Necesitamos hacerles algunas preguntas sobre el robo de la otra noche." Horatio explained. _Yes, my name is Lt Horatio Caine and this is my partner, Officer Ryan Wolfe. We need to ask you some questions about the robbery the other night._

The older woman indicated herself. "Mi nombre es Rosa, y el de mi compañera es Teresa, que clase de preguntas tienen?" _My name is Rosa and my coworker is Teresa. What sort of questions did you have?_

"Estuvieron las dos aquí esa noche?" _Were you both here that night?_

"Sí, señor, estuvimos aquí." Rosa told him. _Yes, sir. We were._

Horatio and Ryan looked at each other. _Pay dirt._ "Recuerdan si sacudieron o limpiaron los escritorios?" _Do you remember if you dusted or cleaned the tops of the desks?_

"Sí, señor, lo hicimos. Siempre lo hacemos es parte de nuestro trabajo." _Yes, sir, we did. We always do. We're required to. It's part of our job to do so._

"Estan seguras?" Ryan asked as he looked from her to Horatio and back again. _You're sure?_

"Por supuesto que sí, señor, yo soy quien se encarga de limpiarlos." The older woman told him. _Yes, sir, I'm positive, since I'm the one who dusts the desks._

Ryan turned to Horatio and asked in English. "So, any prints that would be on the desks would have to have been left…." He began.

"….during the robbery. That is correct, Mr Wolfe." Horatio explained, also in English, as he nodded. _If I didn't have him before, I have him now._ The red head thought to himself. He turned back to Rosa and switched back to Spanish. "Estaria dispuesta a testificar sobre esto en la corte?" He asked her. _Would you be willing to testify to that in court?_

The two women looked at each other, briefly, then Rosa turned back to Horatio. "Si es necesario, por supuesto que sí." She told him, in Spanish. _If it becomes necessary, then, yes, I can._

"Muy bien, gracias." Horatio took out his notebook and opened it to a blank page, then asked the women. "Por favor, escriban sus nombres, y direcciones, y algún número telefónico donde localizarlas si tenemos alguna otra pregunta." _Ok, thank you. Please write down your names, addresses, and contact numbers, just in case we have any other additional questions._

Both women wrote down what he had asked for, then passed the notebook back to him.

Horatio offered them a smile as he closed the notebook and put it back in his inner coat pocket. "Muchas gracias." He told them. _Thank you._

"De nada." Rosa replied, as she matched his smile with one of her own. _You're welcome._

Ok, how did I do? Please let me know what you think. I'm all ears.Your friendNV Oracle


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Horatio and Ryan walked out of the break room and down the hall. They walked out of the building, toward the Hummer.

Ryan looked over to Horatio. "All of the prints we gathered…."

"Were left during the commission of the robbery. That is correct, Mr Wolfe." Horatio replied as they approached the Hummer. He unlocked first the passenger door then, the driver's side door. They climbed in and closed the doors behind them, then, Horatio turned back to Ryan and added. "Ok, when we get back to the lab, we need to check all the prints we gathered and see who should have been there and who was not scheduled to work that night."

Ryan looked over at Horatio. "We did that first thing, H. There were two people that were in the office after they cleaned, that were not scheduled to be there."

"Kevin Miller included?" Horatio asked.

Ryan nodded. "Kevin Miller included." He confirmed. "What does it mean, H?"

They put on their seatbelts and Horatio started the engine. "You mean beside the fact that he lied during his initial interview?" He asked rhetorically. "Try the fact that he's up to his beady little eyeballs in our case. I'm just not completely sure how he fits in just yet."

The red head slowly navigated the large vehicle through the parking lot. As he moved the Hummer out on to the city street, he asked Ryan. "Do me a favor, please, Mr Wolfe and call Eric on you phone. Please put it on speaker phone for me."

"Ok, H. Hold on a minute." Ryan speed dialed someone on his phone and held it open toward the red head. They hear ringing coming over the line, then the phone is picked up.

"Hello?" Eric asked.

"Eric? It's H." He replied unnecessarily.

"H? You're using Ryan's phone?"

The two men chuckled. "H is driving, Eric. I'm holding the phone." Ryan explained.

"Oh." Eric understood. "Ok. What's up? Where are you guys?"

"We're in between the Event Center and the lab, Eric. We'll be back at the lab in a few minutes."

"Ok." Eric replied, then asked. "H? How's Stevie doing? What did Dr Fitzgerald say about the cleansing?"

Horatio cracked a grin, knowing that the youngster was part of the family. "At the moment, he should still be sleeping off the Tylenol that Fitzgerald had given him. The Doctor had missed quite a bit of glass when Stevie was dropped out of the van. Dr Fitzgerald first injected Stevie in several locations where glass was still under his skin, literally, then he used a scalpel and forceps to get the glass out. In the meantime, of course, now that the Tylenol has worn off, Stevie was feeling, every new incision that had been made."

Eric chuckled over the phone. "I can only imagine. That poor kid. He's going to be so uncomfortable."

"You're quite correct, Eric. He was. Luckily we got him to admit why he was so 'concerned' about becoming addicted to painkillers."

"You finally got him to own up to that?" Eric asked, astonished. "What kind of reason did he give?"

"Actually, a very good one." Horatio admitted. "He said that he had a friend, who became hooked first on alcohol, then, later on drugs. When the friend killed himself, the friend's parents blamed Stevie. He is adamant that he will not get hooked on drugs and leave his Mom in the lurch. His viewpoint is that his Dad and the team are depending on him to be the man and to take care of his Mom."

"Whoa." Eric breathed softly. "That's an awful big load to be putting on those little shoulders."

"They're not that little, Eric." Horatio argued. "Most of it, he's doing on his own anyway."

"Like this morning, Eric." Ryan continued. "There he was, he was so completely uncomfortable, and all he was concerned about was if his Mom had eaten breakfast and what she had chosen."

Laughter came over the phone. "That sounds like Stevie." Eric agreed. "I see what you mean, H. I think his Dad would be very proud of him."

"I do too, H. Stevie's stepping up to the plate in a major way." Ryan added.

"Yes, he is, Gentlemen." Horatio agreed. "I would expect no less out of Calleigh's nephew and godson, or any of our 'family'." Horatio stopped the Hummer, and put it in park. "Ok, Eric. We've just pulled into the parking lot. We'll be inside in just a moment."

"Ok, H. See you in a bit." Eric hung up and a dial tone cold be heard over the speaker.

Horatio and Ryan traded an amused look as Ryan closed his phone with a snap. Horatio walked around the Hummer as Ryan gathered the paperwork from the hospital, then climbed out of the Hummer and closed the door. They walked into the building and took the elevator up to their floor.

Horatio stepped off the elevator, and turned to the youngest member of his team. "Ok. Mr Wolfe, here's what I need for you to do. Please start the research into Dennis Miller. Let me know, whatever you find, as soon as possible." Horatio fought not to flinch when Ryan tapped him on the arm with the file. He hung his head looking down at his glasses.

"I'm on it, H." Ryan hurried away.

Horatio turned to go a different direction, when Det Tripp called out. "Hey, H."

He turned to the Texan's voice, as he tilted his head to the side. "Hey, yourself, Francis. What have you got for me?"

"Delko said to haul this 'gentleman' back in for you. Where would you like me to hang him?"

Horatio had hung his head, looking down at his hands, as the bigger man approached. When the red head looked back up, though, Frank could see the mischief in the red head's eyes. He passed Horatio a look that said to not say what was on his mind, so the CSI supervisor looked off into space for a moment, before turning back. "Do me a favor, Frank, and 'hang' him in Interrogation Room 3. I'll be back momentarily."

Horatio walked away as Frank turned the suspect toward the Interrogation Room."Let's go, you." Frank told him. They walked into the glass enclosed room and Frank released the man's hands from the cuffs around his wrists, then moved the man to sit in the chair at the table.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter 45

In the meantime, Horatio walked around to the Fingerprint lab, and walked in to find Eric working at the computer. He looked up at the door opening. "Hey, H. What's up?"

Horatio walked up to stand beside him, and said. "I got the message about the you-know-what. Did you have any problems with Det. Stupid?"

Eric chuckled, and shook his head. "Nope. No problems at all, and Miguel understood that if he created any problems to call either you or I."

Horatio cracked a mischievous grin. "Very good. Thank you, Eric. In the meantime, Det. Montoya was supposed to photocopy the file he had on the chop shop."

"He did, H." Eric confirmed it for the red head. "Here it is." He passed the file to Horatio.

Horatio opened the file and looked at several of the pictures. "That's it." He closed the file and looked over at Eric. "I know we pulled his prints in the office. Where's the AFIS report?"

Eric opened another file. "Here it is, H."

Horatio took the file. "Thank you, sir." He moved toward the door, then turned back toward the younger man. "You want to come join in the fun?"

Eric chuckled and walked toward the red head. "Sure. Count me in." He removed his lab coat and hung it on the coat tree beside the door. He followed Horatio out the door, and down the hall to the Interrogation Room.

Just before they went into the room, Horatio turned back to Eric and passed him the main file. "Do me a favor, please, Eric, and hang on to this for me for just a minute."

"Sure, H." Eric took the file from him.

Horatio walked into the Interrogation Room and nodded to Frank, then turned to the suspect. "Good Afternoon, Mr Miller. Thank you for coming in."

The younger man jerked his thumb toward the burly Texan behind him. "Yeah, well, your dog didn't give me much choice."

Horatio looked up, feigning surprise, at Frank, then looked back down at the younger man. "Since I really wasn't asking you, that goes without saying."

"Now that I'm here, what do you want?"

"I'm trying to give you the chance to tell me the truth, after you sat there and lied to me the other day."

The younger man continued to try to bluff Horatio, but the red head could see a crack in the façade. "What do you think I lied about?"

The steel wall fell behind the red head's eyes and his voice dropped a significant level. "You lied about your attendance in the robbery at the Event's Center the other night."

"You think so, huh?" Miller folded his arms in front of himself. "Prove it."

Frank and Eric traded an amused grin, both men shaking their heads.

Horatio leaned over the table toward Miller. He knew that his voice was going to drop, into the 'Danger Zone', and he was powerless to stop it. "Never say 'prove it' to a CSI." He looked over at Eric and nodded one time.

Eric pulled papers out of the file. "Here is a picture from the surveillence system inside the Events Center that shows one of the robbers taking off his gloves. This individual left prints on one of the desks at the office of the Events Center. When scanned into the system, the prints in question brought your information up. We also have affidavits, signed and sworn statements that say the prints could only have been left during the commission of the robbery."

Horatio continued. "Add to that this beautiful little picture, that very clearly shows you getting out of the van that you claimed to never have seen." He pushed the picture in question across the table to Miller, then delighted in watching the expression on the man's face change from confidence to confusion to shock.

"Stupid takes on a whole new meaning with you, doesn't it?" Frank asked from his place in the corner.

Eric added his two cents worth into it as well. "We also reviewed the security tapes from outside the Events Center. Before the victim and his mother pulled up in their van, there had been no get-a-way car parked, waiting. That means that you knew he would be there. The victim has been seriously injured from one of you idiots dumping him out of the van. If he dies, you ALL will be going down for Capital Murder."

Horatio turned so that one shoulder was still facing the window. He tilted his head to look at Miller, and explained. "If you tell me the truth about what happened, I will speak with the State's Attorney, and put in as much of a good word for you as I can."

Miller looked at the photos for another moment longer, then looked between Eric and Horatio for just another moment, then sighed deeply, and looked down at the pictures. "You have to understand something, when we first talked about committing the robbery, no one was supposed to get hurt."

Eric, Frank, and Horatio passed a look among themselves. Horatio looked at the suspect for a moment. "Start at the beginning, and don't leave any thing out." His tone of voice left no room for debate.

Miller sighed again and looked up. As he described what happened, Horatio could picture it in his mind's eye. "I have three friends, Chris, Pat, and Dante, and we all work at the Events Center. One day we were at my place watching a game on TV. During the game there was a Globetrotter ad on and we were joking around about the amount of money that would be in the office on game day, and, initially we just joked about robbing the Office. After a fashion, the hypothetical idea for a robbery turned into an actual plan. Several days later, we were at my apartment again, and this time, my cousin, Denny, had come over."

Horatio pulled out the picture that Stevie and Jessica had identified. He pushed it toward the man. "Is either one of these men your cousin?" He asked.

Miller nodded. "Yes. He's my cousin." He pointed to the man on the left, the one Stevie identified. "So, anyway, we asked Denny if he wanted to join us and he said no, but that he knew that there would be a van that we could use that would be easy to steal because there would only be a woman and a kid in a wheelchair in the van."

Horatio looked at Frank and Eric, and realized that they were thinking pretty close to what he was thinking. He attempted to keep control of his voice as he asked. "You mean to tell me that you thought noting of stealing the only means of transportation of a young person in a wheelchair?"

Miller shrugged.

"You've gotta be kidding me." Frank commented. When Miller continued to sit there silently, the burly Texan turned to look at his two friends. "I guess that makes you the textbook definition of human decency and kindness, doesn't it?"

Horatio traded a grin with Eric, then turned back to the suspect. "It certainly would seem so, Frank. Please tell me one thing, Mr Miller. Who made the decision to dump the boy out of the van?"

Miller's eyes grow wide in alarm. "I'm telling you, that part just happened. I was driving and Chris sat in the passenger's seat beside me. Pat and Dante were in the back of the van. Suddenly Dante called out. "Wait a minute! We've got a passenger." The next thing I knew Dante opened the door and tossed the kid and his chair out the door."

Eric slammed his hands on the table and leaned over it, and got into the suspect's face. "None of you noticed that he was dumping 'the kid' into a bed of glass?"

Miller's eyes continued to stay wide. "Wait a minute!! We didn't know!! It all happened so fast!! No one was supposed to get hurt!!"

"Your friend should have though about that before he dumped 'the kid' out of the van." Horatio told the man, trying to keep a firm hold on the control of his emotions. "As it is, the boy is in critical condition, but right now, he's holding his own. You better hope and pray that he makes it, because if he doesn't, I'm going to make sure you all go down for Capital Murder." The red head let that realization sink in. "You think long and hard on that while you cool your heels in a Holding Cell." Horatio turned to look at the Texan. "I'm going for a walk, Frank, before I do something I'll regret later. Do me a favor and take his statement and then throw him into a Holding Cell, please?"

"Will do, H." Frank told him.

The red head looked at the younger Cuban. "Come with me, please, Eric?"

"Sure." The younger man replied. "Let's go, H."

Luckily, Eric was one of a small handful of people who could keep up with the man when he was in that frame of mind. They made their way to the red head's office in silence.

Horatio walked around to his desk and opened a drawer. He pulled a file and opened it, and passed a business card, and the picture he showed the suspect across the desk to his younger friend. "Please pass this to Mr Wolfe. Let him know who is who and that I also would like him to research the Construction Company."

Eric took the items. "Sure. I'll do that for you, H. No problem."

"Thank you." Horatio closed and locked his desk and walked with Eric out the door and locked it as well, then followed the younger man down the stairs. "I have an errand to run this afternoon, but I am reachable on my cell phone." He told both Paula, the Receptionist, and Eric.

"That's fine, Lt." Paula told him. "Please be careful, sir."

"We'll see you when you get back, H." Eric added.

"Be back as quick as I can." Horatio told them, as he walked toward the elevator.

The door opened when he pressed the button, so he stepped inside and pressed a button. The door closed and the elevator took Horatio to the first floor. He stepped out of the elevator, and walked out of the building and got into his Hummer.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter 46

He drove back over to the hospital, and made his way up to the ward. He walked into Stevie's room to find Jessica sitting there reading a magazine.

"Hey, Jessica. How's he doing?"

She looked up at him. "Oh, hey there, H. He's been asleep since you left."

"Ok, good. Do me a favor and leave him a note, just in case." Horatio asked her.

"Ok?" Jessica asked, puzzled.

Horatio looked down at his hands for just a moment, then turned to look at her, as he tilted his head. "I was thinking, since we seem to have the time this afternoon, that we'd run over to Stevie's school and at least attempt to get him a tutor while he's here."

Jessica thought about it for a moment. "That's probably a good idea."

She got up and wrote Stevie a note, then laid it on the top of the rolling table and parked it in front of her son, then grabbed her purse and jacket. "Ok. Let's go."

They made their way in the elevator down to the first floor, then out to the parking lot. They got into the Hummer and Horatio started the engine, then maneuvered the large machine out onto the streets.

After a fashion, Horatio stopped at a red light and looked over at her. "Did he have any bad dreams or nightmares?"

She shook her head. "No. He slept like a baby the entire time you were gone."

"That's good. I hated to knock him out like that, but he needed to sleep it off and I thought it was the one way to get him to rest."

"One thing about Stevie is that, now that he knows that he's the 'man' of the family, he's going to be 'channeling' every adult male that he knows. That includes his father, first and foremost, but it also would include men like you, Tripp, Eric, and Ryan….."

"….As well as Captain Picard." Horatio finished the list.

She laughed. "Him, too." She agreed. "Primarily, any man that he might admire could potentially be in the spotlight."

"Just so long as it's for something positive." Horatio was quick to acknowledge.

Jessica smiled and nodded. "I would prefer that as well."

Horatio pulled into the school's parking lot and parked, then he and Jessica walked in through the front door. As they moved toward the Administrative offices, a young voice called out.

"Mrs Douglas!!" A 12 yr old girl with light brown hair and eyes came running up and gave Jessica a hug. "How's Stevie? Nothing else happened, did it? He hasn't been is school the last couple of days….."

Jessica looked briefly at Horatio before kneeling in front of the girl. "Heidi, sweetheart, slow down a minute. I don't want to scare or worry you, but when we were trying to go to the Trotter's game the other day, the van was stolen as we were getting there. Stevie was tossed out of the van, and he landed on some glass. He was cut up a little bit and he's been running an infection for a day or two, but he will get better. It's just that he's going to be in the hospital for awhile."

The little girl's eyes grew wide and she clamped her hand over her own mouth. After a moment, she removed her hand and asked softly. "He is going to be ok, though, isn't he, Mrs Douglas?"

Jessica nodded. "Yes, Heidi, ultimately, he'll be just fine, but for right now, he's a fairly uncomfortable young man."

Horatio cleared his throat.

Both women looked his direction, then Jessica told the little girl. "Heidi, this is Lt Caine. He's a police officer that is helping us to try to get the van back, and to help Stevie to feel better."

Turning to Horatio, Jessica added. "Horatio, this is Heidi. She is one of the kids in Stevie's circle of friends, and is his girlfriend, too."

Horatio was quick to nod to Jessica, then turned to Heidi. "How do you do, Heidi?" He held his hand out to her.

She shook his hand and replied. "Thank you very much for helping Stevie, Lt."

"You're more than welcome." He told her, just as the bell went off.

Heidi looked up at it. "That's the bell for the end of lunch. I have to go back to class." She turned to Jessica. "Please tell Stevie that I'll be by to visit him, maybe after school or over the weekend."

Jessica nodded. "I'll tell him, Heidi. Now run along, you'll be late for class."

The youngster laughed as she turned to go back the way she had come. "Yes, ma'am. I'm going." She turned to look at Horatio. "It was my pleasure to meet you, Lt Caine. We'll see you later." She waved 'bye' at them.


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter 47

They waved bye as they watched her hurry off to her class, then turned toward the Administrative Office. Horatio opened the door and motioned for Jessica to go first, which she did. Once she was through the door, he walked in and closed it behind himself.

One of the secretaries stood up, a young woman with shoulder length blonde hair, and stepped up to the counter. "Good afternoon, Mrs Douglas. How may I help you?"

"I need to find out what I need to do to arrange for an Official tutor to visit Stevie in the hospital."

The younger woman looked puzzled. "Has something happened?"

"Only a little." Jessica commented. "Stevie and I were going somewhere the other night, when the van was stolen from under us and Stevie was dropped out onto a broken bottle."

The blonde woman winced. "Ouch. How's he doing?"

Horatio took over the explanation, when he noticed that Jessica's voice was tightening. "He's doing better. The infection that developed is going down slowly but surely, but he still has a very long road ahead of him."

"It sounds like it. That poor little boy." The woman walked over to the end of the counter and pulled several forms, then walked back over to them. "Please fill these out, and in the meantime, I will see if Principle Weller is available."

Horatio took the forms from her and pulled out his ink pen. He assisted Jessica in filling out the forms.

Anita walked up to check on them.

Horatio gave her the forms and told her. "We're also going to want to talk to his friends."

She looked at Horatio confused. "May I ask why?"

Horatio nodded as he told the woman. "Yes, ma'am. We wanted to explain the situation to them ourselves. I hope you understand?"

She nodded. "Sure. I understand, just fine. I'm just not sure that Principle Weller will, though."

Horatio cracked a grin. "I'll explain it until he does."

Anita matched his grin with one of her own. "That works for me." Her phone wrung. She went to her desk and picked up her phone. "Principle Weller's office, Miami-Dade Junior High School. Anita speaking. How may I help you?" She listened for a moment. "Yes, Principle Weller, they're right here." She continued to listen for another moment. "Yes, sir. We'll be right there." The young woman motioned for Horatio and Jessica to stand up, which they did. She also held open the swinging door. Horatio motioned Jessica to go through first, then he followed her through, as Anita lead the way across the reception area to the Principle's Office.

Anita knocked on the door. From inside, they heard a male voice reply. "Come in."

She opened the door and invited Horatio and Jessica into the office. The older man behind the desk stood up and walked around it. "Hello, Jessica. How are you?"

"Relatively ok, Principle Weller. Thank you." Jessica turned to indicated the red head beside her. "This is Lt Horatio Caine. He's a friend of Stevie's and mine, that is trying to help us get back on our feet, so to speak."

"So to speak." Principle Weller agreed. He turned to Horatio and held his hand out to the red head. "How do you do, Lt?"

"Just fine, thank you, Principle Weller." Horatio shook his hand. He turned to Jessica and held the chair for her as she sat down.

"Stevie hasn't been in school for the last couple of days. Did something happen?"

"You could say that, Principle Weller." Horatio told him. "The other night, when Stevie and Jessica were attempting to go to the Trotter's game, there was a robbery and the robbers stole their van, and as they drove away, they dropped Stevie out of the back of the van. He landed on some glass, and an infection developed. The doctor is working on killing the infection now. We should know later today, or tomorrow, at the latest, if it's working."

"So, Stevie's in the hospital for the foreseeable future?" Weller asked.

"Yes, sir." Horatio confirmed. "That is correct."

"I see." Weller mumbled. He picked up the handset of his desk phone and pressed a phone number in. He then put the handset to his ear.

The phone rang on the other end three times, before it was answered by a woman. "Miami-Dade County Public School System Administration. How may I direct your call?"

"To Catherine Monahan, please?" Weller told the woman.

"Yes, sir. Please hold." She put him on hold without waiting for a response, and transferred him to the person he asked for. The phone rang once and a different female voice answered. "Miami-Dade County Public School System, Hospital Services. My name is Catherine Monahan. How may I help you?"

"Cath? This is Principle Weller at MDJH." He began.

"Yes, sir. What can I do for you?"

"I will need to schedule a tutor to go in and tutor Stevie Douglas while he's in the hospital."

"Yes, sir." She replied. He could hear her typing on a keyboard. "Ok. The young man that had been working with him before, Kelly Foster is available to work with him again."

"Let me ask." He put his hand over the lower end of the handset and looked over at Jessica. "The young man who had been working with him before, a Kelly Foster is available to tutor him. Is that ok?"

Jessica's eyes lit up. "Yes. He and Stevie built a very quick report when the worked together before, so, yes, he'd be perfect." Weller moved his hand and put the phone to his ear again. "Apparently Mrs Douglas was hoping Kelly was available. Yes, please assign him."

"Yes, sir." She replied. He heard her typing for a moment, then she said. "Ok. He'll be up at the hospital during the day tomorrow."

"That's fine." He told her. "Actually, have him come by the school for Stevie's assignments first though, please?"

"Yes, sir." Cathy responded.

"Thank you." he hung up, then looked over at Jessica. "That's been taken care of. He'll come by and get the assignments before heading up to the hospital."

"Very good." Horatio commented. "Now, might it be possible to speak with Stevie's teacher's and friends, or at least, just his friends?"

The man looked puzzled. "May I ask why?"

Horatio nodded. "We wanted to tell the kids ourselves about what happened to Stevie and I wanted to see if any of them would be able to come visit him."

Weller turned to his computer and typed on the keyboard. He wrote on a notepad for a moment, then turned back to the computer. He wrote on the notepad for a moment longer, then got up from his desk. "If the two of you would please follow me, we'll go find his friends."


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter 48

Horatio and Jessica stood up and followed Principle Weller out of his office and out of the outer office, then into the hall. They walked down the hall and stopped at one door.

Principle Weller knocked and opened the door. He looked the class over for a moment, then turned to the teacher. "Excuse me, Miss Gordon, according to my information, Stevie Douglas, and his friends would be with you at this time. Is that correct?"

The auburn haired woman turned to him. "Normally, yes, he would, however Stevie has not been in school for the last couple of days."

"We have an explanation for that. May we come in?"

She nodded and motioned for them to come in. "Yes, please."

He walked in with Horatio and Jessica. "Those of you that are friends with Stevie, will recognize his mother. This man is also a friend of his. He's Lt Caine with the Police Dept….."

"I'm not here as a Police Officer, though, Principle Weller. I'm only here as a friend of Stevie's." Horatio interrupted. He looked out over the class. "How many of you consider yourselves friends of his?" Horatio counted the hands that shot up. It was, in fact, most of the room, or at least more than the number that Stevie had given him earlier. "Very good. I have an explanation for why Stevie has not been in school the last few days. I don't want to worry any of you or scare you, but if you decide to go to the hospital, I wanted to forewarn you about how he looks, so that it won't startle you or scare you."

"Thank you for thinking about us, Lt Caine." Miss Gordon told him. When Horatio looked over at her, she asked him. "What happened?"

He turned back to the kids. "Well, I know that he told some of you that his Mom was going to take him to see the Trotters." Several of the kids nodded, so Horatio continued. "Ok. The office of the Events Center was robbed that night and the men that robbed the office, took the van. They pulled Stevie's Mom out of the driver's seat. Luckily they discovered that Stevie was in the back of the van fairly quickly, but, when they threw him out of the van, he landed on some glass."

Horatio looked around the room and noticed that several of the boys had concerned looks on their faces and that several of the girls were on the verge of tears.He quickly added. "Of course, he got cut up pretty bad when he landed on that glass. The incisions became infected, but the doctor says that the infection is getting better slowly but surely. Ultimately, the incisions will heal and scar over, but, in the meantime, Stevie is still feeling self-conscious about it. If you do go in to visit with him, please do not say anything about how he looks." Horatio looked around the room. "Any comments, questions, or concerns?"

Several hands went up all at the same time, one of which was Stevie's girlfriend, Heidi.

Horatio pointed to her. "Yes, Heidi?"

"Is it affecting his ability to get around on his own?" She asked tentatively.

Horatio nodded. "Yes, it is, Heidi. Most of the incisions cut muscles, which, in turn, is making it very painful for him to get around on his own, especially in using his wheelchair. The muscles will all have to heal first, then we'll work on re-developing the muscle tone and definition that he has lost through all of this."

Several of the girls giggled at his phrasing. Horatio's eyebrows climbed into his hair. He turned first to Jessica, then to the teacher, and noticed that both women were also chuckling.

"What?" He asked, as he wondered what he had said.

Heidi cleared her throat, then looked up at the red head. "We're sorry about that, Lt Caine, but that just sounded really funny when you said it."

He thought about what he had said, and as he realized how it sounded, he also chuckled. "Oh-kay." He replied, as he fought not to blush. After a minute, he looked out at the class again, and pointed to one of the boys. "Yes, sir. In the blue and grey polo shirt."

"Yes, sir. What hospital and room number is Stevie at?" The Hispanic boy asked.

"He's at University Medical Center, on the 5th floor, Room 525 West." Horatio told them. "The doctor gave him a pain killer today to help him with the incisions from the cleansing, so, he's likely to be asleep, at least until in the morning, so, please don't try to visit him tonight."

Several of the kids chorused. "We will, Lt."

Horatio looked around the room. "Any other concerns or questions?" When no other hands come up, Horatio looked over at Jessica, and noticed how pleased she was as well, by the kids' seemingly easy acceptance of the situation. "Ok. We're going to let Miss Gordon get back to your lessons." Horatio pulled out one of his business cards, and passed it to Weller. "I'm giving Principle Weller one of my business cards. It has my cell phone number on it. If anybody needs to talk, either about Stevie, or anything else, ask him for my phone number, and I'll be there, any time of the day or night."

Miss Gordon spoke up from her desk. "Excuse me, Lt." When the man turned to look at her, she asked. "Do you mind if I get one as well? I would like to keep in touch on how Stevie is doing as well."

Horatio shook his head, as he pulled out another card, and walked it over to her. "Not at all." He turned to look at the class. "Ok, gang. Both Principle Weller, and Miss Gordon have one. As I said, if you need to talk about anything, I'm just a phone call away." He and Jessica moved toward the door.

"Ok. Thank you, Lt Caine." Several of the kids chorus.

Horatio, Jessica, and Principle Weller left the classroom, and stood in the hall for just a moment. Horatio held his hand out to the other man. "Thank you for all your help today, Principle Weller."

Weller shook his hand, as well as Jessica's. "You're more than welcome, Lt. I was glad to help. Please let me know if there's anything else you might need."

"We certainly will, Principle Weller." Jessica added.

Horatio and Jessica walked back outside and over to the Hummer. After he helped her into the passenger seat, he then went around to the driver's seat, and climbed in. He started the engine, and looked over at her. "Did you want to go back to the hospital, or could I take you to the apartment, Jessica?"

She looked over at him, puzzled. "You're not going back to the lab?"He chuckled. "Not for very long, but yes, for just a few minutes. Tonight is the night I asked Calleigh to come over for our 'date' and I want to get home early tonight. Before I can be positive about going forward on anything personal with her, there's something I need to tell her about myself, first."

Jessica brushed her fingertips very lightly against his arm and shoulder. "Does it have anything to do with that or the cleansing you had to undergo?" She asked.

Knowing what 'that' meant, Horatio nodded slowly. "What did you and Doctor Fitzgerald see the other day?"

Jessica sighed slowly, unsure of how to answer him. "Not much, but enough to know that your childhood was not easy, either."

"No, it wasn't." He admitted softly, under his breath.

"Please take me to the apartment." She told him.

"Yes, ma'am." He replied, as he maneuvered the large vehicle around a corner.

"Horatio, I know that you've met her father. He's not an easy man to live with or deal with. I know that you are aware of his 'problem'?"

He nodded, knowing that she referred to Duke's alcoholism.

"Ok. I'm not going to betray her trust by telling you anything specific about it, but, suffice it to say that her childhood was not paved with roses, either." Jessica told him. She looked out the window, as he drove, trying to think of something she could tell him that would assuage some of his fears, or concerns. "All I'm saying is that I don't think she's going to be as shocked as you're worried she will be, when you tell her what you have to." She put her hand on his arm. When he looked over at her, she smiled "I would say good luck, but I don't really think you're going to need it."

He matched her smile with one of his own, as he pulled in to the parking lot at the apartment. "I'll take it anyway, though. I could use all the positive vibes I can get." When she looked over at him with a puzzled expression, he explained. "Although I feel like I can say that I know Calleigh fairly well, I'm still nervous enough about admitting to this, very simply because I don't know how she will react. I've never had a positive outcome whenever I have summoned my courage to admit to this. There's a part of me that worries this will change more than I want it to."

Jessica opened her door, then turned back to him. "Ok. I'll wish you good luck then."

"Thank you, Ma'am." He nodded to her.Horatio watched her close the car door, then make her way to the front door of the apartment building. Once she was inside, he headed to the Lab.


	49. Chapter 49

Hey, gang. I'm sorry that it's been so long since I've updated, but RL decided to remind me who really is boss in this relationship. My computer decided to act up, and it took just about a week for my friend's husband to fix it for me. Luckily it was something that was relatively easy to fix. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter 49

Back at the lab, Horatio first stopped at the Trace lab, but Ryan was not there, so he made his way to the break room, hoping to find his trace expert in there. His youngest CSI was not in there, however his Ballistics expert was. "Hey." He called out softly.

She turned to him with a smile on her face. "Hey, yourself, Handsome. Where did you disappear off to?"

He looked down at the floor for just a moment, then looked up at her. "I took Jessica over to Stevie's school to make arrangements for a tutor for Stevie, and we also talked to his friends and told them about what had happened."

Calleigh smiled up at him. "Thank you for taking her there, Horatio. I know she wasn't looking forward to doing that."

He cracked a grin at her. "No problem, ma'am." He let the silence hang there for a moment, then asked her, tentatively. "Did um……..did you need to cancel our plans for the evening?"

She backed up a step and looked up at him, puzzled. "Why would I need to cancel our plans, Handsome? I've been looking forward to it ever since we made our date. Do you need to cancel for some reason?"

That shy grin came out again, as Horatio looked down at the floor. "No, I don't need or want to cancel our plans. I've been looking forward to it, too." He looked up at Calleigh, as he pulled out his notebook. He also pulled out his pen, then wrote something down. He pulled out the page and handed it to her. "I hope these directions make sense?"

She scanned the page. "They make perfect sense." She looked up at him. "You've been keeping some things to yourself, Handsome." When he looked confused, she asked. "South Miami Beach? Them's pretty fancy digs."

"They weren't at the time that I bought them, though, Calleigh. I hope you still think so, once you've seen my house. If you get lost, or need any help getting there, holler, and I'll come get you, ok?"

She nodded. "What time should I come by?"

"Any time would be good for me." He admitted. "But I'll settle for 6, if that's ok with you?"

She nodded again. "That works for me, Handsome. I'll see you then."

A genuinely happy smile graced his features. "Excellent. I'm trying to find our young Mr Wolfe. Once I do, I'm headed home, but I will still be reachable on my cell." He turned and headed toward the door.

"That's a given. Be careful and we'll see you at 6." Calleigh called after him.

Horatio opened the door, and almost bumped into Eric. "Eric, have you seen Mr Wolfe recently?"

Eric was caught flat footed for just a moment, as it registered that he had seen Calleigh and Horatio talking about something other than work. "Uh, yeah, H. He was in the Q.D. lab the last I saw of him."

Horatio's eyebrow climbed into his hair. "Questioned Documents? What was he doing there?"

"I'm not really sure, H. He was mumbling something about being on Dennis Miller's trail." Eric explained."Ok. Thank you, Eric. Once I check on young Mr Wolfe, I will be heading home, but I will still be reachable on my cell, if you need me."

Eric looked at his watch for a moment, then looked up at the red head. "It's a little early for you to be heading home. Are you ok, H? Is anything wrong?"

Horatio chuckled. "I'm fine, Eric. Nothing's wrong. I just have an appointment this evening that I don't want to be late for."

"Uh, huh." Eric looked though the glass wall at Calleigh. "Would this 'appointment' be with a certain blonde Ballistics expert that works with us?" He teased the older man.

Horatio continued to chuckle as he walked away from Eric, but said nothing. He shook his head, knowing that the teasing would only increase, the less he said.

He decided to let things sit, at least for the time being, just to see what might happen. He walked down another corridor, and turned a corner, to go into the Q.D lab. Sure enough, there was Ryan, bent over a microscope, comparing two samples.

"I don't believe this." Ryan mumbled to himself, thinking that he was alone.

"What don't you believe, Mr Wolfe?" Horatio asked from the door.

Ryan jumped up, startled, but then relaxed when he realized who it was. "Oh, hey, H."

"Hey, yourself, young man." Horatio walked the rest of the way into the lab, to stand next to Ryan. "What don't you believe?" He asked again.

"Just this, H." Ryan showed the two papers to the red head. "I think we're going to need to bring Dennis in to ask him some questions."

That had Horatio's attention. "Why, Mr Wolfe?"

"Because both of these documents is a fraud. They're just as fake as they can be, H. Take a look." He moved one of the documents under the microscope and checked it's position. "With this document, it doesn't have the crisp edge to it, and the document number is off what it should be." After the red head looked at the document through the microscope, and stood back up, Ryan moved the other document under it, and did the same. "With this one, yes, the number is also off, but the printing is also off what it should be." Horatio also looked at this document too. When he stood up, Ryan looked over at him. "I also checked with all of the schools and employment that he listed, and either the businesses are a flat out fake, or if I did reach someone, they had never heard of him, or the school admissions office didn't have any record of him."

Horatio stood there, listening to the younger man for a moment, as he tapped a rhythm out with one hand on the butt of his gun, then he asked. "Did the idiot ever use his real SSN?"

Ryan grinned. "That was the only piece of information that I found that was the truth, H."

"Very good, Mr Wolfe. Don't do it tonight, but tomorrow, I want Frank to bring him in." Horatio looked over at Ryan again. "Have you found anything on the construction company, yet, Mr Wolfe?"

The younger man shook his head. "No, sir. I'm sorry, H, but I haven't even started on that part, yet. I was just working on seeing how serious the forgery was with these. I'll get started on that right away."

"Yes, please, Mr Wolfe. We need all the evidence we can get. I'm headed home, but I'm still reachable on my cell, if you need me. Ok?"

Ryan also looked at his watch and repeated what Eric had said. "This is still a bit early for you to be headed home, H. Is everything ok? You're not catching a cold, are you?"

That also got laughter from the red head. "No, Mr Wolfe. I'm not catching a cold, and yes, everything's fine. I just have an appointment this evening that I don't want to miss." As he walked toward the door.

"Ok, boss." Ryan replied as he watched the man walk out of sight. He walked over the a window, and watched as Horatio got into his Hummer, and drove away. Ryan very quickly made his way to the Morgue, but got there at the same time that Eric did.

"Hey, Alexx, you'll never guess what happened?" Both young men said at the same time.

Alexx looked up from her patient with an eyebrow raised. "I give up." She told them. "What happened?"

"Horatio asked Calleigh out on a date." Ryan relayed.

That caused Alexx to stop what she was doing. _Is their date really tonight? I think I need to go talk to Calleigh for a minute._ She thought to herself. Alexx attempted to keep her face expressionless, as she asked. "Are you sure, boys?"

Ryan and Eric looked at each other, feeling very much like two school aged boys who had just spied on their principle with one of their teachers, and was trying to rat them out to their Mom.

"When have you ever known Horatio not to be here 24/7, Alexx? What kind of an appointment do you think he'd have this late that he would not want to miss?" Ryan asked her.

"Is that what he said, Ryan, Honey?"

Ryan held his hand up, as if he were going to be sworn in to the witness chair at a trial. "His words, not mine, Alexx. I swear." Ryan made an imaginary cross over his heart.

"I heard him say that, too, Alexx." Eric agreed. "I also saw him talking to her in the break room. He wrote something on a piece of paper and passed it to her. She read it, and shook her head. When he walked away, he had a genuine smile on his face, like something was really happening like he wanted it to. He was on top of the world."

_That's about right._ Alexx thought. _He was, in fact, on top of the world when he asked her the other day_. "I don't want you guys to tease them about this, ok? If this is going to happen, it has to be on their terms, not anybody else's."

"Alexx, you are just no fun." Ryan sounded like a little boy not getting his way.

"Yeah, can't we tease just a little?" Eric agreed.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't, but I'll leave it up to you to play by ear." She told them.

"Yes, Mom." They chorused.


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter 50

After she finished the autopsy of the man she was working on, she made her way upstairs to the break room. No one was there. She stopped for a moment, listening. There it went again. Gunshots. Alexx slowly made her way over to the Ballistics lab and opened the door. She waited until the blonde had finished with the gun she was using, and had gone to retrieve the bullets from the testing chamber.

"Knock, knock." She called out.

"Hey, Alexx." Calleigh greeted her cheerfully. "What's up?"

"Not much, Baby, not much." Alexx replied, trying to find a way of asking what she wanted to know. "Isn't tonight your date with Horatio?" She decided against beating around the bush.

Calleigh laughed. "Ryan and Eric told you about seeing Horatio and I in the break room, didn't they?" She asked.

Alexx nodded. "Yes, they did. Then I remembered that Horatio had in fact asked you out for a dinner and a movie night at his house. Is tonight really the night?"

Now it was Calleigh who nodded. "Yes, tonight is really the night. I wasn't sure if you heard him asking me the other day or not, but yes, I accepted, and yes, tonight is the night."

"How did he seem when he left here, Calleigh? Was he nervous, or anything?"

The blonde looked thoughtful. "Well, he did ask me if I needed, or wanted, to cancel, or postpone it. Of course I told him no, that I didn't need to postpone it, and I certainly didn't want to cancel, that I had been looking forward to it ever since he had asked me the other day. That seemed to lift the hesitancy that he seemed to be feeling, and we finalized the time I'm supposed to be over at his house. He's given me directions to get to his house. I am surprised by one thing, though, Alexx." She admitted.

"What's that, Baby?"

"Well, for some reason, that was not where I pictured him living, that's all." Calleigh looked thoughtful. "I wasn't sure where I was thinking, but it wasn't there."

Alexx chuckled. "He had these two friends when he went to college for his CSI classes that helped him to get that house. It's a beautiful place. You're going to love it." She looked down at her watch. "Speaking of which, shouldn't you be getting home to get ready for your 'hot date'?"

Calleigh also looked at her watch. "Yes, I do." She closed everything up and locked up all the evidence she had been working with, then turned back to Alexx. "We'll see you in the morning."

"Oh, no, you don't, Missy. I want all the juicy little details." Alexx told her. "I don't care what time you come home, I want a phone call" She laughed.

"Alexx!!" Calleigh also laughed. "You're hopeless." She thought about it for just a moment. "Alright, already. I'll call you the minute I get home, regardless of what time it is." She promised.

"Good." Alexx replied. "Now, scram." She watched the younger woman race out the door.

"Bye." Calleigh made a beeline for her car.

In the meantime, Horatio had made a trip to the grocery store, and had purchased everything he needed to make her the special dinner he had in mind. He knew that he needed something extra special for the evening, simply because, he knew that a repeat performance was very unlikely if she didn't react even semi-positively to his news. If something happened, and he did, in fact, scare her away, he wanted her to remember their night as a positive one.

Everyone was telling him to think positively, that the evening would go the way he was hoping, and she would, in fact, say yes to the idea of dating him, and he really was trying to think positively, but with all of the other attempts that he had made at this, no one else, with the exception of his wife, his _ex-_wife had stayed. No one else had believed that Horatio could be himself, without his father's influences. They had all believed that he would just turn out to be another Michael Caine. Most had run away, just from fear, but some of them, he'd had to push away, because they had been the ones to turn abusive towards him, as if they could keep him from turning abusive by reverse psychology.

He arrived at the house, and brought the groceries in from the car. He stood in the kitchen, trying to gather his thoughts when a smile played on his lips. He remembered Calleigh's reaction to his address. He tried to make a mental note to himself to tell her about Craig and Sam, his two co-conspirators, his fellow Musketeers, and how they helped him to get the house for the relative little he paid for it, given it's location. He looked at his watch, and ran upstairs to get a quick shower and a change into some casual clothes. He had dinner to get on the stove relatively quickly, and he wanted the Iced Tea to at least be semi-chilled by the time his guest got here.

Horatio was in and out of his shower in record time, and changed into the most comfortable pair of jeans he had, as well as the most comfortable casual button down that he owned. He went downstairs and began his dinner preparations.

With the hands busy, the mind was left to roam where it wanted to again. His thoughts ended up on the subject of Calleigh, again. He remembered what Jessica had told him about her childhood, and wondered, not for the first time, just exactly how difficult the blonde young woman's childhood had been. He hoped that Jessica was right in that it gave Calleigh more compassion of what he had gone through, than some of the other women he had dated. Taking a break with his dinner preparations, he walked into the living room, and turned on his stereo. He put a CD into the player, and turned down the volume, just as someone knocked on the door. He crossed himself quickly, and said a quick prayer that things would go ok. "Hold on. I'm coming." He called out as he walked toward the door.

Calleigh pulled up into the driveway at Horatio's house, turned off the engine of her car, and looked at her watch, then smiled. She was just a few minutes early. As she sat there in the driver's seat for a few minutes to gather her own thoughts, she paused to wonder what could possibly have possessed Horatio to even ask for a date. She realized that what he had been thinking about just before he asked about the date, and his conversation with Stevie earlier in that day had something to do with it. She only hoped that it was for the better.

She hadn't realized at the time, quite what an impact, or an influence, he would have on her life, when she had agreed to pack up all of her worldly possessions and move to Miami, Florida, of all places.

She remembered their first meeting fondly. She had been working in the Ballistics lab of the New Orleans Police Department at the time, and had been there for just under two years. She loved her job, and loved the fact that she was working directly for one of her father's oldest and dearest friends, 'Uncle' Mark Anderson. A friend who knew about his drinking habits, as well as the negative affect that they were having on his family. A friend who had decided to take her under his wing. A friend who, more importantly, desperately wanted to get her out of Louisiana, and away from her badly dysfunctional family.

So, when Uncle Mark came walking into the lab with this devastatingly handsome, red headed stranger, she had no idea quite what would happen next, but, when he offered her a job in one of, if not the, finest labs in the country as the team's ballistics expert, well, she quickly realized she would had to have been crazy to have turned down that offer. It wasn't for several days that she found out that the red headed stranger, her new boss, Lt Horatio Caine, had known about her reputation, as one of the most knowledgeable ballistics experts in the country. The one thing she had groaned over was that he was aware of her nickname, through Uncle Mark, as 'Bullet Girl'.

Now, of course she was proud of the fact that her reputation had gained strength by leaps and bounds in the field of ballistics expertise, as well as the fact that she was a very well liked and well respected member of one of the finest Police Departments in the country. She was also willing to acknowledge that some of that positive effect could be attributed to a certain red headed Lt.

She also realized that somewhere in that three year period of time, somehow she had managed to fall in love with her boss, even though everything in the rule book was against it. She knew that the department would have one of them transfer out of CSI, if they even suspected that favoritism was taking place, and that Stetler would be leading the lynch mob out for Horatio's hide, and his badge, for even considering getting involved with one of his subordinates.

She only hoped that the feelings were mutual. One of the reasons that she had never said anything to him about how she felt, was that she wasn't sure of his feelings on the subject. Alexx had hinted that his past was complicated, but that it wasn't her place to say anything more than that. Alexx had also said that she didn't want to endanger her relationship with him, because she said, she knew that he didn't have too many places where he could turn to for someone to talk his thoughts out loud to, and she wanted to still be one of the people he could talk to, so she wouldn't say anything more than that and that if Calleigh really wanted to know more, then she would have to talk to him about it, and of course, she never did.

She mentally crossed her fingers, and hoped for a positive outcome, then got out of her car, with her keys in one hand, and her bag in the other, then, closed the door, and walked up to Horatio's front door. She knocked, and after a quick beat, she heard "Hold on. I'm coming." from inside the house.

After another minute, when no one came, she turned and took in some of the other houses on the block. They all seemed to be styled similarly to Horatio's, but some were painted differently. She heard someone approach the door and it was opened, just as she turned back to it.

He was standing there in jeans, and a blue button down, the sleeves of which had been folded up approx ½ way between his wrists and his elbows. He also had on a pair of white tube socks, but no shoes, and in his hands, he carried a kitchen towel that he was using to dry his hands.

She looked him up and down several times. "Wow. Now I understand why you don't dress 'down'. I can't speak for any of the other ladies in the lab, but I don't think I'd get anything done.

He looked down, that shy grin coming out for a moment. He looked back up and held the door open. "Please come in, Calleigh." As she stepped over the threshold, he added. "Thank you for coming." He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you for inviting me." She returned the kiss. She followed him into the house. She stopped in the living room. She set her bag on the coffee table as she looked around the room. Although the house was obviously the home of a bachelor, she could tell the bachelor in question took a great deal of pride in his home. A large flat screen TV was on one wall, framed by two different book shelf units, one on each side, and a smaller one directly underneath, which housed a DVR, and a DVD player. Looking up, she also noticed speakers hanging in several discreet places all over the room. On one shelf of one of the units, also sat a stereo that had been turned on and was playing a CD.

She turned to look into the kitchen. Horatio was working on his dinner preparations. "Do you mind if I turned this up?"

Without looking up, he shook his head.

She turned back to the stereo, and moved the volume knob ever-so-slightly. Strains of Bob Seger's 'Hollywood Nights' came over the speakers. She turned back to look at the red head, still engulfed in his dinner preparations. _I wouldn't have pegged him as an 80's rock nut._ She thought to herself with a smile. "Could you use some help?" She asked.

He looked up at that. "No, thank you, I believe I have it. Can I get you something to drink?"

"Yes, please." He put down his knife. "What would you like? Coffee, Iced Tea, Lemonade, a soda?"

"Some Iced Tea sounds nice, thank you."

He grinned. "Ok. Be right there." He reached up into the cabinet.

She turned back to her sweep of the Living Room. As she turned, she noticed the painting, an M.C. Escher work, and the Mandela, a Native American work, on the wall, just above a guitar sitting in the stand. After a few minutes, Horatio brought a tall glass of Iced tea to her.

"Hopefully it's sweet enough?" He asked.

She took a tentative sip, then nodded. "It's perfect, right the way it is. Thank you." She pointed with her chin at the guitar. "Is that a decoration or can you actually play it?"

His head ducked shyly, as he cracked that embarrassed grin. "Yes, I can play it. Maybe I'll play for you some time."

"Ok." She quickly let the subject fade out, realizing how uncomfortable he was.

He turned and went back into the kitchen, as she set the glass down on the coaster on the coffee table. She then turned back to his library and began to examine the pictures on the various shelves. Several of the pictures showed a much younger, teenage Horatio with another teenage boy that could only have been his brother Ray, and a woman. The woman looked enough like the boys that she was obviously their Mother. There were also pictures of the three of them and a man. The man resembled Horatio so much so that it was easy to see how much his father physically shaped the man Horatio had become, except in his expression and that, apparently, all came from his mother.

Calleigh noticed that Horatio had put a pot on to boil and had made his way into the Living Room, just as the song changed on the stereo. She recognized the song very easily, and smiled at the memory, remembering that she loved this song when it had first come out, during her early teenage years herself, and which boys she wanted to 'star' in the song with. She had no trouble imagining how many girls threw themselves at Horatio over this song. "Well, I guess I know what's on your mind tonight." She commented, the mischief gleaming in her eyes.

He looked over at her puzzled. He listened to the song for just a moment, then quickly realized it was 'All I Wanna Do is Make Love To You' by Heart. Calleigh laughed at how quickly he blushed, almost as red as his hair.

"I'm just teasing, Horatio. I'm sorry." Her laughter slowly died down, then she asked. "I can imagine that a lot of girls in High School had that fantasy about you."

Horatio chuckled, as he nodded. "Probably more than my share." He replied as his embarrassment slowly calmed down. "That sounded like you had that fantasy about more than one boy in school." He observed.

"I did." She confirmed. "I never allowed the fantasy to play out, though. I wanted to save myself for Mr Right." She sat beside him on the couch. "What about you? Did you fulfill the fantasies of some of the girls in High School?"

He chuckled as he nodded. "More than one girl, I'm afraid."

She looked puzzled. "You didn't hold out for Ms Right?"

He sighed, not really wanting to go down this road. "I wasn't sure there was going to be a Ms Right in my future." He told her.

She looked back at him confused. "I thought you had an ex-wife?"

He chuckled, thankful that she wasn't going where he thought she would. "Hence the term 'ex' in that, Calleigh. She wasn't Ms Right."

"I'm sorry." She told him softly.

"I'm not." He replied. "Initially when we got married, we did love each other, very much, but she didn't understand, or accept the hours I had to work, and as a result, she claimed that my work was my mistress, and so, she thought turn-a-bouts was fair play."

Calleigh's eyes went wide. "She cheated on you?"

Horatio nodded. "She did." He took a deep breath for just a moment, then let it out slowly, turning it into a sigh. "When we were together, we were very happy, unless one of us was working crazy hours at work. We both were very career minded people, and our jobs could hold our attentions very easily, for long periods of time. She claimed that I never let mine go, that even when I came home, part of me was still at the station. She said that she couldn't live with having to play second fiddle to my mistress for the rest of her life. What I didn't know, until the divorce, was that she was cheating on me with a mutual friend of another friend. My lawyer found out about him. Can you believe that? It took my lawyer, of all people, to bring me to my senses."

Calleigh shook her head, unsure of what she could say. "Horatio, you've always preferred to find the good in people, instead of just automatically waiting for the bad to pop up. I can see why it would have taken the lawyer to find out about her indiscretion. It was his job to look for the bad. As her husband, you would not have necessarily been on the lookout for anything like that."

"I suppose." He conceded the argument. "After the divorce, I tried dating other women, but it never came to anything, even when I moved to Miami. Except when I was promoted to First Shift Lt, and I went to Louisiana in the hopes of finding a ballistics expert who would be willing to come to work for me here in Miami." He looked over at her with a grin. "Over the years, I've gotten to know the person you are at work, but I would really like to know the person you are away from work, what moves you, what do you like to do when you're not at work, what do you like to read, or what kind of music do you like to listen to, those kinds of things."

Calleigh chuckled, a sound that warmed Horatio's soul. "I could say the same to you, Horatio. For instance, I would not have pegged you as an 80's rock nut, and I never would have thought you could play the guitar. What other kinds of things grab your attention? Do you like other types of music? What do you like to read? What kinds of movies do you like to watch? Those of us that are on your team know that you think of us as family, but none of us has seen the inside of your home, and you've never been over to my house. Is there some reason you feel that you need to keep all of us at arm's length? Are you protecting us from something? Certainly it's not from you. We all know that you care about us, but it's the very rare instance when we see you demonstrate it. Nobody knows anything about you, except for the very little you allow us to know."

Before he could find anything to say that would begin to answer her, without giving anything away, the timer goes off in the kitchen. _Saved by the bell._ He thought to himself gratefully. "Hold that thought." He told her as he got up and went back into the kitchen.

He tested the vegetables, as well as the pasta and found everything done. "Ok. Dinner's done." He told her as he took the pot to the sink and emptied it's contents into the colander, and ran some cold water over it.

"Would you like some help?" Calleigh asked, watching him.

Horatio shook his head. "No, thank you. I have this, but if you'd dig in the fridge for the shredded cheese and the pitcher of tea, I think we'll be set." He cracked a grin.

She matched his with one of her own. "No problem." She went to the refrigerator and pulled out both the bag of cheese and the pitcher of tea and took them to the table in the dining room. "I meant to ask, what are we having, anyway?"

He smiled shyly, ducking his head. "My Mom's recipe for Fettuccini Alfredo, but with one, or two of my own additions to it. I hope you like it."

Now it was Calleigh's turn to be scrambled for something to say. "Horatio! That was too much work." She sat at the table.

He laughed as he walked into the dining room with two plates. He sat one in front of her, then put one at his own place at the table, as he told her. "Calleigh, there was no work at all involved, ok? I don't cook enough, because most of the time, there's just me. I like to cook, but I prefer to have someone to cook for, other than just me." He looked down at the plate, then over at her. "I hope you enjoy it, now, please, dig in." When she picked up her fork, Horatio walked over to his place and sat down.

They ate in silence for a most of the meal, both going over some of the things that had been said up to that point, in their own minds.

Calleigh looked up toward the end of the meal find Horatio watching her. "Is something wrong?"

He blinked back to the here and now. "No, nothing's wrong, Calleigh." He was quick to reassure her. "I was just thinking."

"You're doing that a lot lately." She teased. "What about this time?"

He put his fork down. "You……and I."

She also set her fork down. She looked at him in confusion. "Okay." She replied slowly. "What about us?"

Horatio crooked a grin at her. "Well, I'm taking the advised of a certain 12 yr old and trying to see if we can make some 'magic' of our own. I'm hoping to be able to pursue a relationship with you, outside of work, but there's actually something I need to tell you first. If, after I've told you what I need to, you decide you don't want anything to do with me, just know that I'll understand."

She smiled gently at him. "Horatio, there's not anything you could tell me that would change how I feel about you, or alter my opinion of you."

"I'm glad you think so." Horatio replied softly, under his breath, looking down at his dinner. He looked back up at her. "You don't know that, Calleigh. I'm not the man you think I am."

Her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. "What do you mean, Handsome? I know the kind of man that you are."

Knowing that he's not getting through to her, Horatio asked. "Have you or the Boys ever wondered why I seem to get so….intense when we have a case that deals with children?"

"That's easy, Handsome." She replied with a grin. "It's because children are the most innocent of the victims and you're an incredibly compassionate person. There's a connection that you seem to develop with each of them, so that they know they're not alone." Calleigh thought about what she just said for a minute.

Horatio cracked a sad grin. "I can put myself in their shoes because I've been there. I was just a teenager when my parents were killed."

Calleigh's eyes went wide. "Both of your parent were killed?"

Horatio nodded slowly. "They were, but not before my father left his mark on me."

Calleigh got the essence fairly quickly. "You mean he was abusive?"

Again, Horatio nodded slowly as he lead her back into the living room. "He was." His voice wavered slightly as he fought to keep it even.

Calleigh stopped him in the middle of the living room. When he turned to look at her, Horatio noticed the pained look on her face. Now it was his turn to look confused. "Horatio, are you saying that he beat you?"

Horatio knew that his voice would not stay normal, but he still fought to keep it as normal as possible. "He did."

"Is that why you had to undergo one of those cleansing treatments, like what they did to Stevie today?"

He nodded wordlessly.

Calleigh continued to look shocked. After a moment, she looked up into his eyes, trying to gauze how comfortable he was with talking about it.

Horatio hung his head, misunderstanding her silence. "If you would prefer not to do this, I'll understand. I would just ask that this doesn't go….." He stopped speaking when she put her finger against his lips.

"Horatio, stop, please." She told him. She took a minute to gather her thoughts. She looked back up at him as she wrapped her arms around him. "This does not negatively change my feelings for you. Just the opposite, actually, it confirms my decision to pursue my feelings for you, and our relationship outside of work." Calleigh paused for just a moment, then remembering their earlier conversation, asked. "Is this why you seem to have a hard time letting us in?"

Horatio nodded with a sad grin. "Yes. My father was a very domineering, controlling man, who loved his alcohol, and drugs, more than he did his family. Although Mom and Ray both got some of it, too, I was his favorite target most of the time. I couldn't tell anyone about what he was doing, mostly because no one would believe it. Those that did believe what was happening couldn't do anything to stop it, even the teachers, the doctors and the police officers. Then, when he and Mom were killed, I had to step up to take care of Ray, and there was no time to learn how to do things any other way. Now, all these years later, it's nothing more than a very old, bad habit, one that I'm hoping, with your patience, and your love, will become less noticeable over time."

She smiled, looking up at him. "That's the idea, Handsome. You know, you're working on it now, really. I think Stevie sees more of the real you than any of us."

He looked at her, puzzled. "What makes you say that, Calleigh?"

"Well, Alexx told me that when he had that dream the other day, that you had allowed him to check you out. You're not a 'touchy-feely' type person normally, but I could see you doing something like that though, for a young person. Then, when you had that flash back about Speed, Alexx said that she had to touch you in order to bring you back to the here and now. Under normal conditions, even I know, you very simply do not like to be touched. Is that because of what your father did?"

He nodded slowly. "If I see someone move to touch me, I'm ok with it, but no, normally if you either walk up and try to put your hand on me, or if I don't see your approach, and you try to touch me, I will at least flinch from it, and yes, it's from what my father did. He would also try to sneak up on you to see if you were doing something he could beat you for, or something like that. I'll try to be better about it, but, there again, it's a very old habit to break."

"We'll work on it, together, Handsome." She told him. "I do have a question for you, though." His puzzled look prompted her to continue. "Would you be willing to let me see your back?" His eyes went wide and Calleigh was quick to explain. "This isn't morbid curiosity on my part, Horatio. I only want to help."

Horatio put his hands on her shoulders. "I know that, Calleigh. It's not a lack of trust on my part. It's just that…..well, it's not pretty. My father did quite a number on me over a period of several years. I just don't want to scare you away."

"There is no way you could, or even would. As I said, Horatio, I only want to help, but if you're not comfortable with the idea, then I can wait until you are." She told him.

He looked down at her for a moment, then took a step back as he brought his hands up to the front placket of his shirt. He continued to watch her face for any change in expression. He opened the second button, then the third. He dropped his hands from the fourth button as she reached up.

Calleigh moved the cloth away from his neck. "Wait a minute, Horatio. What's this?" She lifted the cross off his upper chest.

He felt the fire flare from her fingers brushing against his skin. Horatio forced himself to answer her question. "This one is just a plain silver chain. That one though, is a cross. My mother gave it to me when I was 12."

She looked up, confused. "I though you said that you're a non-practicing Catholic?"

Horatio grinned at her. "I am, now, but I wasn't back then." He told her. "Both of my parents were insistent about going to church, even Dad." He rolled his eyes. "It's actually far too deeply ingrained for me to forget for too long, I just choose not to go anymore."

She smiled as she laid the cross back against his upper chest, near the base of his neck. "I can only imagine." She told him.

Horatio brought his hands back up and continued to unbutton his shirt. As he held the sides open, and away from his body, Calleigh reached up and spread her hands across his shoulders. The cloth moved off his shoulders and Calleigh walked around him. When she pulled the garment down his arms, she fought not to gasp out loud.

Horatio's shirt finally landed, to be hammocked, there between his lower forearms, and Calleigh got a complete, unobstructed view of the red head's back. Some scars ran from left shoulder to right hip, others from right shoulder to left hip, and still other scars ran both horizontally across his back, and others still with a slight slant.

His head hung when he heard the softly breathed "Oh, my god." that came from Calleigh.

She stood there for a moment, taking in the sight. After a minute, she wrapped her arms around him, threading her arms under his. "You are phenomenal, you do realize that, don't you?" She hugged him.

Without turning, Horatio looked over his shoulder at her. "What do you mean, Calleigh?" He asked, puzzled.

Calleigh walked back around to face him. Before she could say anything, Horatio told her. "I didn't tell you so that you'd pity me, Calleigh. It's just that I've had feeling for you for a very long time that I want to pursue. As you said, to pursue, our relationship away from work. I just didn't want my father to come between us."

"He won't, Horatio, I promise." Calleigh tried to reassure him as she pulled his shirt up his back and over his shoulders. "There is no way I would ever pity you. The more I learn about you, the more amazed I am by you. My feelings for you have also been there for quite awhile." Calleigh wrapped her arms around him again and gave him a hug. "I am amazed that you are still as sane as you are. The fact that you're even still up and walking around is a triumph, and to still be the way you are is just amazing. The kindest, gentlest, most genuinely compassionate person I think I have ever met." Calleigh continued to hold him as she put her ear against his chest, over his heart. "Your father didn't deserve to have you. He was never ready to be a father. On the one hand, I'm sorry that he did this to you, but on the other hand, it has shaped and made you into the man you are and that is someone who is eminently lovable"

He looked down at her, that crooked, shy grin taking over. "'Eminently' lovable?"

"Yup." She wrapped her arms around him, under his shirt. She spread her hands over his back, as she pulled him towards her, hugging him. "Eminently."

He chuckled softly, as he looked down at her. "You're pretty amazing, yourself, Beautiful. I love you, too." He leaned in and kissed her.

Calleigh quickly deepened the kiss, causing both of them to moan into it. She moved her hands around Horatio's sides. As they broke the kiss, for a lack of air, Calleigh very lightly ran the tips of her fingers across and down his chest and abdomen. When it felt as if he flinched from her touch, she looked up at him. "You ok, Handsome?"

"I'm fine, Calleigh." He told her, looking down, towards the floor. He looked back up, into her beautiful green eyes. "It's just that it's been awhile and I don't want to rush you or hurt you."

Calleigh chuckled. Leave it to Horatio to ask at the brink of the precipice, if he was rushing her, not wanting to hurt her. It was one of the things that she loved about him the most. His complete unselfishness. His putting everyone else above himself. "There is no way you could or even would, Horatio. I agree, though, that I don't want to rush this or hurt you, either."

Horatio cracked that boyish grin. "How about we take things one day at a time, and see what happens?"

She hugged him again. "That sounds like a plan to me, Handsome."

He returned her hug and looked down at the bag on the coffee table. "What kind of movies did you bring?"

Calleigh took a step back and turned towards the table. As she opened the bag, Horatio took the opportunity to button his shirt up, leaving the top four buttons opened.

"I brought Star Wars, Episode I, Ghostbusters, in case we wanted a comedy, and Grease, the pre-dared 'chick flick'." She looked up at him.

"Let's do this one." He told her, pointing over her shoulder at Ghostbusters. "It's been awhile since I've seen it, and a comedy sounds like a good idea."

"Works for me." She told him, as she walked over to the DVD player.

He turned toward the kitchen. "Can I interest you in some popcorn, or some more tea?"

"I'm still full from dinner, but I will take some more tea, please?"

"Ok." Horatio grabbed both glasses, then disappeared into the kitchen for just a moment. When he returned, he carried two full glasses, and set hers on her coaster. "Here you go."

"Thank you, sir." Calleigh put the DVD into the player, then took the remote with her over to the couch. As she sat beside him, she moved her glass, so that she could reach it when she wanted some, then leaned back, and pressed play on the remote.

They both very quickly got into the movie, and time flew by. When it was over, they both were quite surprised to discover how late it was.

Horatio took both of the glasses, which were now empty, with him into the kitchen. "Can I interest you in some dinner to take home?"

"Yes, please." Calleigh quickly agreed, as she walked over to the DVD player.

She didn't see it, but Horatio's head ducked, and that shy grin made it's appearance once again, pleased that she enjoyed her dinner with him. He put some in a plastic container for her, and brought it out to the living room. "Here you go. I'm glad you liked it."

"It was terrific, Horatio. You really outdid yourself." Calleigh took the container from him and put it in her plastic bag, then turned back to him. "I've really had a good time tonight."

He looked down for just a moment, almost as if, once he admitted it, that it would some how jinx their night, then looked back up at her. "So did I." He admitted softly with a grin.

Calleigh wrapped her arms around him. "Next time, we'll have to do things at my place." She put out there tentatively.

"That's a date." He told her quickly. "You name the day, and I'm there.""Oh, no you don't, Handsome." Calleigh told him as she released him, and picked up her bag. She teased Horatio as she walked toward the front door. "I'm going to really have to think of something that will top that dinner you made tonight."Horatio chuckled as he walked with her to the door and opened it for her. "You'll do just fine, Beautiful, no worries. I'll wait, though. As I said, you pick the day and I'm there." He watched her get into her car. "Drive safely, and we'll see you at the lab in the morning."

"Yup, we'll see you in the morning." Calleigh agreed, then started the car.

Horatio stood there, and watched as she backed out of the driveway, and drove toward home. Once she was out of sight, he walked back into the house, quite pleased with how well their date went. Dinner had turned out very well, even if he had been the one that cooked it. He had enjoyed the movie that they had watched and had thoroughly enjoyed her company, even though he had been quaking in his socks when he had told her about his father, hoping that he wasn't ruining the one good thing they had, their friendship.

It really should not have surprised him when she had not turned and made a run for it, when he had told her, although, for some reason it did. The last woman he had attempted to tell hadn't even stayed for dinner, she ran so fast. _You really should have known that Calleigh would be different._ He told himself. _Now, you just have to make an effort to meet her halfway, although that really shouldn't be much of a stretch, is it?_ He worked on autopilot, as he put the remains of dinner away, and put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. He set it to going, then got himself a glass of milk, and went into his den. He turned on his computer, and waited for it to boot up. When it had booted completely, he sent a quick email to Richard's son, R.J., and asked him to call him on his cell phone, and explained why, and that he needed to speak with the leader of the team from Extreme Home Makeover.

Horatio then got off line, and turned off his computer, then took the empty glass into the kitchen and rinsed it out, then put it into the sink. He then went upstairs and got ready for bed.

Calleigh drove home, thinking about what Horatio had told her. She could tell very quickly how much the subject upset him and yet how concerned he was over what her reaction would be.

_Didn't he realize_…… she thought, but quickly realized that no, he didn't. She knew that she would just have to show him.

She went into her apartment and pulled a soda from the fridge. She picked up her cordless phone and went into the living room. She sat on her couch, and dialed a number, then put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Alexx." She greeted her friend.

"Calleigh, Honey, how did it go?" Alexx perked up.

Calleigh chuckled at her friend's enthusiasm. "It went very well, Alexx. You were right, I really didn't have anything to worry about."

"I didn't think you did, but that's good, Honey."

"We each used the 'L' word, and we told each other that we had felt that way for awhile. We've mutually agreed to take things one day at a time."

"Well, good for you. I'm really glad for both of you, Calleigh, honey. You both richly deserve it." Alexx told her.

"Thanks, a lot, Alexx. I don't think we could have done it without your help. I am curious about one think, though. Can I ask you a question?"

Alexx sighed, thinking that she knew what the young woman wanted to ask. "Ok?"

"I know that you're listed as his personal physician, but have you actually ever seen his back?"

Alexx nodded. "Yes, I have, Baby." She paused for a minute, gathering her thoughts. "He doesn't like it very much on the occasions when I have had to examine him, but if you keep control of the situation and remind him that the longer he argues, the longer his exam could take. Normally, I do make any exam I need to do as quick as I possibly can, very simply because I know that he doesn't like them."

"Is that because he's embarrassed by the thought of someone seeing them?"

"To a degree, Honey." Alexx tried to explain."It's more of a case where he's ashamed that he hadn't been able to be what he feels a good son should have been to his father."

Calleigh groaned. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. The Horatio I know would not know how to be bad."

"Calleigh, you of all people should know the up's and down's of living with an alcoholic. Add to that the fact that Mr Caine liked drugs too, and you have a detailed recipe for disaster."

Now Calleigh was the one who sighed. "I know, Alexx, and you're right about that. Is there anything that can be done?"

"The only thing I can suggest is to do what we've been doing. Be gentle with him when these things happen, and just try to put a lid on his fear, when it rears it's ugly head."

"Ok, Alexx, thanks a lot for all your help. We'll see you at the lab in the morning."

"See you at the lab." Alexx hung up and smiled.

Calleigh also hung up the phone. She looked at it for a moment as she chuckled and grinned. She stood up and walked the phone over to the charger, and put the handset in it. She walked over to her sliding glass door and opened it, then stepped out to her balcony. She leaned over the railing and looked out over the city, thinking about what had happened earlier. Some of Horatio's reactions and comments over the years were shed a brighter light and the complexity of the red head's personality were becoming more pronounced.

_Horatio, what am I going to do with you?_ She knew, from her own experiences with an alcoholic father, that when they tell you time and time again exactly what they think of you, you start to believe it after awhile. She also knew that while she'd had her guns and the woods on her family's property, that Horatio had not had that 'luxury'. Again she marveled at how grounded he seemed to be and wondered if she would be as well adjusted as he seemed to be. She continued to look out at the city lights until she felt herself getting sleepy. She had finished her soda, so she tossed the empty can into the recycle bin, then closed everything up, and went to bed.


	51. Chapter 51

I'm really glad you all liked the chapter. I was really nervous about posting it. Here's the morning after the date.

Chapter 51

Horatio was getting ready the next morning, in his bedroom, when his cell phone rang. He looked at the Caller ID and smiled. He lifted the cover of his phone with his thumb and put it to his ear. "Horatio."

"Hey, there, Lt Caine. It's R.J."

Horatio smiled. "Hey there, yourself, young man. How are you?"

"Did Dad tell you that he has his first daughter, after all of us sons?"

"So, you were the one?" Horatio asked, not really surprised.

"The one that…..?"

"The one that put that spring in his step." Horatio teased.

R.J. laughed as well. "Guilty as charged. You'd think he was directly responsible for her."

Horatio laughed as well. "Yes, you would. She already has him wrapped around her little finger."

R.J. laughed. "She had him wrapped around her little finger the moment she came into this world."

The men laughed, then Horatio asked. "Your Dad was saying that your neighborhood has been invaded by the folks from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?"

"Yes, we have. Your email said that you needed to speak with Mr Pennington. May I ask why?"

"I have this young friend….."

"Stop right there, Lt. I've heard about you and your 'young friends'. Are you tilling at windmills again?"

"Who, me?" Horatio asked, rhetorically. "Never."

"Uh, huh. Sure." RJ disagreed. "You should be called the 'Pied Piper of Miami."

RJ doesn't see Horatio duck his head in embarrassment.

"Why the 'Pied Piper'?" Horatio asked when he thought his voice would stay level.

RJ chuckled. "You seem to have this magnetism where the kids are concerned. The kids respond to something about you." When he doesn't get a response back after a minute, he senses enough to know to change the subject. "What's so special about this 'young friend'."

Horatio sighed, glad to have gotten RJ off that subject. "This young friend was a victim of the South Miami Beach Events Center robbery."

"That was on the news up here, too. Is he going to be ok?" RJ asked concerned.

"I prefer to believe that, yes, ultimately he will, but when the robbers attempted their get-a-way, they stole the van that belongs to my friend and his mother. They dumped my young friend out of the van and he landed on some glass. What is making all of this more difficult, is that my young friend is less than six months out of an accident that has left him paralyzed from the waist down and his father dead."

"Oh, no." RJ groaned.

"Yeah." Horatio agreed. "All I'm trying to do is to even the playing field for him."

"That's a good idea. It sounds like the kid has had a rotten string of bad luck."

"It sounds like it." Horatio agreed. "How long have they been there?"

"Not long." RJ told him. "A day, two at the most."

"Good." Horatio responded, thoughtfully. "Do you think you'll be leaving the house today?"

Horatio doesn't see the younger man shake his head. "I don't plan on it, Lt."

"Very good." Horatio replied. "I will be by later to see that baby and to speak with Mr Pennington."

"No problem, Lt." RJ told him. "We'll see you when you get here."

"Yep. Bye" Horatio hung up with the younger man, then grabbed his jacket and went downstairs. He made sure that everything was off, he went out the front, stopping long enough to make sure that it was locked, then got into the Hummer and drove to the lab.

When he got there, he stopped at the reception desk. "Good morning, Paula. Any messages?"

"Good morning, Lt. Yes, sir. You do have several messages. Here you go." She held the stack of slips out to him.

He took the stack from her and began to go through them. "Ok, thank you, ma'am." He walked away on auto pilot, as he read his messages. Horatio made his way into the break room, and was getting a cup of coffee when he felt the hand move gently down his back, just as her voice greeted him.

"Hey, there. Good morning, Handsome."

Horatio turned to her with one of those rare, genuine smiles. "Hey, there yourself, Beautiful. Good morning." He put the stack of message slips into his jacket pocket, as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.

Calleigh returned the kiss, then looked up into his eyes. "Thank you very much for inviting me over last night. I really had a great time. Dinner was delicious. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and the company was wonderful." She willing stepped into his personal space and wrapped her arms around his torso, under his jacket. "Do not think for even one instant that what you told me last night negatively changes how I feel about you."

Horatio wrapped his arms around her in turn, as he looked down at the floor. After a moment, he looked up and into her eyes. "I had a great time as well. Thank you for coming over." He told her, almost shyly, as if once he admitted it, that it would disappear in a puff of smoke. "I'm glad you had such a good time. I was just kidding last night about our next date being at your place. If you wanted, or preferred to go out for our next date, or, if you even just wanted to come back to my place, let me know. It's up to you."

Neither of them noticed Alexx, Ryan and Eric in the hall. The three of them smiled at each other, celebrating the couple getting together.

Even Ryan, as new as he was, could see the chemistry between their Southern bred, blonde ballistics expert and their red headed Commander.

Eric started to move toward the door, when Alexx hissed. "Eric, don't you dare!!"

The Russian-Cuban younger man turned to look at the African-American woman. "Aww, c'mon, Alexx. It'll be fun to tease them, H especially. Watch, he'll turn as red as his hair." Eric pushed the door open. "Hey, H. How did your appointment go last night?"

Calleigh felt him flinch as he attempted to withdraw from her, but she kept him in place by keeping her arms wrapped around him. She looked up at him and watched him battle himself for control.

After a minute, when it seemed that he would not blush, Horatio told Eric. "My appointment went just fine, Eric. In fact, better, really than I had hoped for."

"Very good." Eric replied. He looked briefly over at Ryan, then turned back to Calleigh. He winked over at her, as he told Horatio. "Well, H. As resident 'next brother in line', it's my job to say that, if you hurt her, or cause her to question herself about becoming involved with you…. Well, let's just say that we'll help hide the body. Understand?"

Horatio had looked down at the floor, until he heard Eric's words. He looked up to the younger man and swallowed, nervously. The red head nodded. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"Yeah, H. We're watching you." Ryan added.

Horatio surprised himself by a grin working it's way across his face. "In that case, Mr Wolfe, I know to mind my 'p's and 'q's." Once the laughter died down Calleigh felt Horatio shift into 'Lt' mode. She released the hug, but did not move out of his personal space. "Did you find anything more out about our therapist or the construction company?"

"Yes, sir. I did." Ryan confirmed. "According to Q.D., all of his 'diplomas' and 'certificates' have been forged, very badly, by Sammy 'the Snake' ……"

"Henderson." Horatio finished for him. "Sammy never did learn when to give things up." He commented, mostly to himself. He looked back over at Ryan. "What about the construction company?"

"That turned very interesting, H. Over the last two years, they have had 5 separate instances of fraud charges leveled against them. All of the cases were settled out of court."

That raised the red head's eyebrows. "All of them were settled out of court?" When Ryan nodded, Horatio told him. "Here's what I need for you to do, Mr Wolfe. Please have Frank pick up our 'friend', Sammy Henderson, and try to dig a bit further into those fraud cases. I'm going to be interested to see what you can find out. Specifically, if business, or residential, who the Construction Company's lawyer was, whether non-disclosures were signed. Anything you can find on them, Mr. Wolfe."

"I'm on it, H." The brunette turned and walked away.

"Thank you, Mr Wolfe." Horatio called after him.

Eric walked away, as well, but to the fingerprint lab.

Calleigh hugged Horatio one time, very quickly, then told him. "I'll see you later, Handsome."

She patted him on the back, just before she moved away, towards the ballistics lab.

Alexx watched the young people walk away, then turned back to the red head. "I'm sorry they did that, Horatio. I tried to stop them."

He looked down at the floor for just a minute. "It's ok, Alexx. I half expected that to happen. They both teased me about why I left so early last night. I told them that I had an 'appointment' that I didn't want to miss."

Alexx chuckled. "That's what they had said. Don't be to hard on them, Honey."

He also chuckled. "Don't worry, Alexx. I won't. It's actually kind of fun to watch them play 'over protective big brother', even with me."

Alexx laughed. "How did your date go, Honey?"

His head ducked and that shy grin came out. After a moment, he looked up to her. "Very well, Alexx, thank you. We had a great time. It actually went better than I dared to hope for." Horatio told her.

Alexx smiled. "In other words, she didn't go running into the hills, did she?"

Horatio shook his head. "No, she didn't. I was pleasantly surprised."

"Because everyone else had?" Alexx asked gently.

The red head slowly nodded. "Everyone else has either left, or been killed."

"Or has abused you?" She asked.

"That too." He agreed.

Alexx also stepped well into his personal space and wrapped her arms around his torso, from under his jacket. "Oh, Honey, I'm sorry that happened. For someone who is so obviously a 'people magnet', to be so consistently alone, and to have your friends and loved ones meet such horrific ends, is just not fair."

He wrapped his arms around her as well. "Even though it doesn't feel like it, sometimes, Alexx, I really do consider myself a very lucky man.

Her dubious expression caused him to chuckle."No, really, Alexx. Think about it. Although no, I don't have any biological family, anybody related by blood, around me currently, I do have you, Calleigh, the boys, and Frank all around me, plus all of the other lab techs, so even when I'm here, I always have someone around me. It's only when I go home that I'm completely alone, but, sometimes I come over to your house, or I go out for something to eat, or sometimes Frank will drag me out to one of his favorite haunts, or over to his house, so that most of the time, I'm doing something different."

She looked into his bottomless blue eyes. "Are you sure, Honey?"

He laughed. "Yes, Mom. I'm sure. Please try not to worry, Alexx. Now that Calleigh and I have decided to date, there will be more time to spend with people, and away from here."

"I'm so glad that you two have finally decided to do it. You both richly deserve each other and I know that you both will be very happy."

"I'm sure we will too, Alexx, it's just that I've wanted her for so long and I've always thought she was so far out of reach, I think part of the brain is waiting for the dream to end."

Alexx laughed. "It won't, sugar. This is the one thing in your life that you can count on."

"I know, Alexx. I'm very much aware of that fact." When he dropped his arms from around her, Alexx took the hint and stepped away from him as she dropped her arms as well. "I'll leave a note with Paula, but I have an errand I need to go run. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Please be careful, Horatio. We'll see you when you get back, Honey." She watched him walk away, down the hall.

He waved over his shoulder, as he walked down the hall. He stopped at the Reception desk. "Excuse me, Paula?" When the shorter blonde looked up with a questioning look, he told her. "I'm going to be out of the office, on an errand. If you need me, just holler. I'll be back as quickly as I can."

The shorter woman nodded. "Yes, sir. Please be careful."

He smiled. "I will. Be back ASAP." He moved toward the elevator. When the door opened, he stepped in and press the '1' button. He stepped out on the first floor and went out to his Hummer.


	52. Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Horatio started the engine and drove North, to Hollywood. He drove his way through town, and stopped at a large, two story, two toned tan and brown house. He got out of the car and took a casual look up and down the block. Most of the houses appeared to be styled similarly to RJ's house.

Down the block the other direction, Horatio can very easily make out the beehive of activity at the Home Makeover site.

The red head shook his head ruefully as he walked up to the house, with a smile. He knocked twice and after a minute, a male voice called out.

"Hold on! We'll be right there."

A minute or two later, the door opened. A younger man stood there, holding a very young infant. The man was slender, where his father was heavy set, but RJ was his father's son, with the same brown hair and eyes, and the same twinkle in them.

"Hey, there, Lt. How are you, sir?" RJ asked as he smiled.

"I'm doing very well, thank you. Is this the little angel that has made your life so full?" Horatio indicated the infant in the younger man's arms.

The younger man looked at the baby for just a moment, then looked back up at the red head. "Yes, sir, it is. Please come in."

Horatio wiped his feet on the doormat, then stepped into the house. "Thank you."

Turning to the young woman standing beside him, RJ made the introductions. "Vicky, this is my Dad's friend, Lt. Horatio Caine." He turned to Horatio. "Lt., this is my wife, Vicky."

Horatio held his hand out to her. "How do you do, Vicky?"

She shook his hand. "Very well, thank you, Lt." She turned to her husband. "So, this is the 'mighty' Lt Caine? Dad sure knows how to embellish a story, doesn't he?"

RJ chuckled. "You're just now figuring that out, Honey. Yes, he knows how to embellish a story, especially where Lt Caine is concerned. The basic story is the same. We had a gangster that was trying to elbow us out of the restaurant. Lt Caine, who was only a beat cop at the time, worked undercover for just about a week, before he got the gangster, dead to rights. The gangster went to prison for a very long stretch and Lt Caine had a friend who owned a Construction company that helped us rebuild for a small discount on the cost. We have had several other attempts to move us from the sight, but, thanks to the Lt, we've always been able to stop them.

"Both of the younger people noticed that Horatio was looking a little embarrassed.

Vicky chuckled, then asked. "Can I bring you something to drink, Lt.?"

"Just a cup of coffee, please, if you have it. If not, I'm fine. Don't make a pot on my account."

"Not to worry, sir. How do you take it?"

"Black is fine, thank you."

RJ motioned toward the living room. "Please, come with me, Lt. Make yourself at home. Can I take your jacket?"

"No, thank you." Horatio told him as he sat in the chair opposite from RJ. "How are things going for you, RJ?"

"Things are going very well. I have two very healthy children, my wife and I are very happy, and the business is expanding."

Horatio's eyebrows climbed into his hair. "When did your Dad decide to expand?"

"Approximately a month ago." RJ told him. "We agreed that it didn't make any sense for me to commute from Hollywood to Miami and back again. Especially when I brought up the idea of having my own restaurant. We checked it out and the new building is being worked on as we speak."

"Very good." Horatio commented. "Who's doing the work?"

RJ looked down at the baby for a minute, then looked up at Horatio. "A friend of that friend of yours from Hunter Construction. A company called B.C. Construction."

Horatio pulled out his notebook, opened it, wrote in it for a moment, then closed it and replaced it in his pocket.

Vicky brought three cups of coffee and set one in front of each man, first Horatio, then her husband, then sat beside RJ with her own cup of coffee.

"What about you, Lt? How are things going with you?" RJ asked. "Dad said something about that you had been in the other night?"

Horatio nodded. "Yes, I was. I was telling your Dad about the young lady I wanted to ask to date me."

RJ nodded. "He said you were feeling a little nervous about that. How did it go, by the way?"

Horatio grinned shyly and looked down at the floor for a moment, then looked up to the younger couple. "It went very well. Amazingly enough she agreed to date an old man like me."

Vicky looked him up and down then replied. "You're not that old, Lt Caine."

Horatio stood up. "I'm glad you think so." He walked around to RJ and held his hands out. "May I?" He asked indicating the baby.

RJ very quickly gave him the infant. "Of course. Here you go, sir."

Horatio looked down at the infant in his arms, then looked over at RJ. "What's her name?"

RJ told him. "Her name is Monica, but her big brother has given her the nickname of Neeka." RJ chuckled.

Horatio cracked a grin and looked down at the infant. "That's a terrific name for a pretty little girl, like you." He walked over to the window with her. As the sun shown into the house from behind a small bank of clouds, she smiled and reached up towards him, giggling and cooing at him. "Well, Little One, I'm hoping that you and I will become much better acquainted. I'm Horatio, a friend of both your Grandpa's and your Dada's. I'm a police officer. If you ever need my help with anything, your Dada and your Grandpa both know how to get in contact with me."

A little boy, not more than about 5 or 6 comes running down the stairs. "Dad!! Dad!! It's time!!" He saw Horatio standing there. "Who are you?" The little boy asked.

Horatio cracked a grin. "Hi. I'm Horatio. I'm a friend of your Dad's and your Grandpa's. What's your name?" Horatio slowly dropped to his knees so that he was more or less eye to eye with the little boy.

"Mikey." The little boy replied.

Horatio saw a little boy with lighter brown hair than his father, and hazel eyes.

Mikey noticed that the strange man was holding the baby. "Why are you holding Neeka?"

Horatio's eyebrow's arched and he looked briefly over at RJ and Vicky, who also looked surprised at the boy's question. "Mom and Dad said that I could. I just wanted to meet her, and talk to her for a minute. Am I not supposed to hold her?"

"It's not that." The little boy told him. "It's just that you have to be careful. She's only a baby."

Horatio smiled. "That's right, Mikey. Right now, she is only a baby." He looked over at the little boy. "You're going to make a terrific big brother."

The youngster walked over to stand next to the red head and looked over the man's shoulder, down at the baby, then back up to Horatio. "Are you a big brother too?"Horatio sensed that their conversation was about to take a serious turn. "Yes."

"What if I'm a bad big brother?" The little boy asked. It was as if RJ and Vicky didn't even exist.

"You won't be Mikey. Unfortunately, being a big brother sometimes is guesswork and there isn't a book on how to be a big brother."

The boy looked confused. "There's not?"

Horatio cracked a grin at the boy. "Nope. Most of the time all you have to keep in mind is, what would Mom or Dad say, or what had Mom or Dad said to you before."

"That should be easy to remember." Mikey commented, mostly to himself.

The three adults laughed at the little boy's comment."Mikey, Horatio and I have an errand we need to go run, so I'm not able to watch TV with you right now, but I will be able to later."

Horatio opened his mouth to say something but noticed that RJ subtly shook his head.

"Oh. Ok, Dad." Mikey thought about it for a minute. "C'mon, Mom. Let's go take Neeka to watch 'Bob the Builder'." He turned and ran from the room.

Horatio stood as Vicky also stood and walked over to him.

"Thanks a lot, Honey." She snarked as she took the infant from Horatio. "Just what I've always wanted - a trip into 'Bob the Builder' land."

Both men laughed at her, as RJ also stood and walked over to her. He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek., then offered her a mischievous grin. "Aww, come on, Honey. I shouldn't be the only one to have that much fun with him."

She returned his kiss, then looked over at the red head. "You two get yourselves out of here. See if Horatio can speak with Mr Pennington."

"Ok, Sweetheart, but if you need me, I'll have my cell phone with me."

"That's fine. You're not going very far anyway. I can hold the fort down until then." She turned to H, and held out her hand. "It was nice to meet you, Horatio. Don't be a stranger, you're always welcome."

Horatio returned the hand shake. "You as well, Vicky. Take care."


	53. Chapter 53

Chapter 53

After cleaning up the cups, and putting them in the sink, RJ lead Horatio down the street. The men stood there for several minutes, taking in the beehive of activity, when a tall brunette man came around the corner.

RJ called out. "Hey, Ty."

The brunette man looked around for a minute, to see who had called him.

RJ waved to get his attention. "Over here, Ty."

The man smiled and saved back, then walked over to them. "Hey, RJ. Is this the friend that wanted to talk to me?"

RJ looked over at Horatio briefly, then turned back to the brunette. "Yes, it is Ty. This is Lt Horatio Caine with the Miami Dade Crime Lab." Turning again to the red head, RJ continued. "H, this is Ty Pennington with Extreme Makeover: Home Edition."

The two men exchange hand shakes as well as greetings.

"What can I do for you, Lt." Ty asked.

"I need the help of you and your team, on behalf of a young friend of mine."

"Hold that thought, Lt." Ty held his hand up. "Let me get the team rounded up. We can all hear you out together." Ty turned and walked away. He came back moments later with several people in tow.

"Lt, this is my team." Ty made the introductions.

Horatio shook the hand of each member of the team. "I really do appreciate you taking the time out to meet with me."

"That's not a problem, Lt." Michael replied. "How about we go into the bus, where we can talk in private?"

Ty closed the door behind himself and turned to Horatio. "What was it you needed to speak with us about, Lt?"

"Well, let me first say that I realize that you're working on this house, so I'm not expecting you to just drop this to help my friend." Horatio looked down for just a moment, to gather his thoughts. He looked up to them and explained. "Up until 6 months ago, Stevie, my young friend, was a completely normal, very active preteen."

"What happened, Lt?"

"He and his father were in an automobile accident. His father was killed in the accident, and Stevie was left paralyzed from the waist down."

"Oh, no." Tanya commented. "That poor little boy."

"When Mom was first informed, she had been given the names of both an architect and a construction company that could renovate the house to Stevie's needs, by a 'supposed' friend of her husband's from work. The work is going slow enough that I'm starting to suspect fraud. I've got an architect and a construction that can do the work, but none of us has ever dealt with someone in Stevie's position before and I know we're going to need some help. We're going to need a list of suppliers that provide the furniture and equipment that he's going to need, as well as any contacts that may be able to help get the house built in a reasonable amount of time."

"That may be where we run into a bit of a problem, Lt." Ty remarked. "Although we, normally, are able to get a house completed, and furnished, in a week, normal construction procedures get a house up in a minimum of 4 months."

Horatio's eyes went wide. "4 months?!" He let that hang in the silence for a minute. "Well, on the one hand, Stevie's still going to be in the hospital for a few days, so I don't think it'll be necessary to get it done that fast, but I would really prefer that it not take 4 months. It's already been 2 to 3 since they were given the news and started the reconstruction of the house."

Ty and several of the design team laughed. "I can understand that." He turned to the red head. "Lt, would you please step out for just a minute. We want to discuss this amongst ourselves for a minute."

"Ok." Horatio replied, his uncertainty flared. He opened the door and stepped out to the ground.

Inside the bus, Ty looked around at the team. "Well, gang. What do you think? Can we do this?"

"We almost don't have a choice, Ty." Paige remarked.

"If Lt Caine is suspecting fraud, there probably isn't enough of the new house up to work with." Ed thought out loud.

"Which means we probably should just start back up from scratch." Paige agreed.

Ty looked around at the group. "Does this mean we're taking it?"

Nods from each member of the team are slowly returned.

Ty's grin slowly grew as each person nodded. "Ok. Let me go get Lt Caine and we can give him the good news." He went to the front of the bus, and opened the door, to find Horatio leaning against the side of the bus, with his arms folded across his chest. "Lt Caine. Would you please come back inside. We've made our decision."

Horatio nodded and followed the younger man into the bus.

"We did have a couple of additional questions for you." Ty told him.

"Ok?"

"Where are Stevie and his Mom living if the house is nothing but a frame?"

"Up until just a couple of days ago, both of them had been living in a temporary apartment that is Stevie assessable. Since the robbery, Stevie has been in the hospital, again, and will be for awhile longer."

"We're still probably going to need to see what the apartment looks like, just so we have some idea of what they're used to now."

"That's not necessarily going to help, Mr Pennington." Horatio started to point out.

"Ty." The brunette corrected him.

"Excuse me?" Horatio asked for clarification.

Ty repeated himself with a grin. "My first name. It's Ty."

"Oh, ok." Horatio was pleasantly surprised by the response. "The problem, Ty, is that they have only been living in the apartment approximately 3 to 4 weeks, and that Stevie has only been out of the hospital about 2 weeks of that. When the robbers took the van, they dumped Stevie out of the van and into a broken bottle."

"Oh, no." Michael groaned. "In other words, he's going to be in the hospital for awhile."

"Especially since an infection developed virtually right away, and ran rampant through Stevie's little body." Horatio explained.

"In other words, therapy, workouts, and other physical activities have come to a halt." Ty summed up.

"Exactly." Horatio confirmed.

"We would still want to meet both him and his Mom, primarily so that we know the family." Ty told the red head as they walked out of the bus.

"I understand." Horatio replied. "I just wanted to tell you that this is a very unusual situation."

Ty looked around at the team. "We understand, Lt." He thought for a minute, then asked. "Would you mind giving us a lift to Miami and back?"

"Not a problem." Horatio replied. "My car is right over here." As the group walked toward the Hummer, Horatio turned to RJ. "Thanks for all your help, RJ. Go home and take care of that family." He held his hand out to the younger man.

RJ shook the red head's hand. "You're more than welcome, H. Don't be such a stranger. You'd always be more than welcome in our home."

"I'll try. Take care." Horatio told him with a grin, as he shook the younger man's hand.

RJ went back not the house as Horatio unlocked the Hummer.

"Tanya, you, Michael, and Paulie, come with us. Every one else, continue to work on this one and we'll be back as soon as we can."

"No problem, Ty. We'll hold down the fort until you come back." Ed told him.

"Ok. We'll be back as quick as we can." Ty replied as he climbed into the front seat of the Hummer.

Horatio put the key in the ignition and started the engine. After he began to navigate his way back to Miami. Ty looked over at him.

"Lt, is there anything that you would think you'd want to see in the new house?"

Horatio thought about it for a moment. "Well, it would probably be a good idea if the house had a keyless entry system."

"That is a very good idea." Ty commented, then asked. "Anything else?"

"Well, Stevie would tell you to concentrate on Mom, but in all fairness, the renovations are for him." Horatio thought for a minute. "He's going to need a hospital style bed, an accessible bathroom…."

"Those things are a given, Lt Caine." Tanya interrupted him. "What sorts of interests does he have?"

Horatio had to think on that for a minute. "You know, that's actually a very good question. I'm not sure of all of his interests, but I do know that he likes to watch the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team. He also likes to draw, and he likes cartoons, including Justice League and Loony Toons. He also is a 'student' of the artist, MC Escher."

"Wow!" Tonya breathed softly. "This is a young man with quite a few interests."

"Yes, ma'am. Quite a few." Horatio agreed. "Some of his interests have had to change due to the paralysis, but for the most part, he is still your average, hyperactive, almost teenage boy."

They laugh.

"It sounds like it." Tonya replied.

Horatio pulled out his cell phone and opened the lid with his thumb. "Call Calleigh."

"Who's Calleigh?" Ty asked.

"My right hand, at the lab, and also the boy's adopted Aunt and his Godmother."

"I see." Ty replied.

The phone rang twice, then a female voice with a subtle Southern accent came on the line. "Hey, Handsome. Where are you?"

Horatio fought not to blush. "Hey there, yourself, Beautiful. I'm on my way back in to Miami. Do me a favor and check with Paula, see if I left Stevie's gift there."

"Ok. Hold on Handsome. I'll check." They heard her shoes clicking on the tile floor, then she asked. "Hey, Paula. Lt Caine wants to know if he left that present for my nephew, Stevie, from the Harlem Globetrotters here."

"Hey, there, Calleigh. Please tell Lt Caine that yes, he left it here, and that it's been secure." They heard a different female voice on the phone.

"Did you hear?" Calleigh asked.

"I heard." Horatio told her. "I actually meant to grab it as I left. Which would be easier on you to either meet me in front of the lab, so that I can pick it up, or if we're not busy, meet me up in Stevie's room and we can give it to him together."

"How about if I meet you up there. I really want to know what is in that box."

Horatio chuckled. "I think I know, but I'll be interested to see for myself what is in there, too."

"Ok, Handsome. I'll meet you in Stevie's room."

"That sounds like a plan, Beautiful. We'll see you there." He continued to navigate them towards Miami.

Calleigh continued to miss that 'we'. "Yup. Be careful, Horatio."

He chuckled. "Aren't I always? Bye."

She also chuckled. "No comment. Bye." She hung up.

He closed his phone with a shake of his head and put it in his interior jacket pocket. As he continued to navigate toward Miami, Ty looked over at Horatio, then shook his head and chuckled as well.

Horatio looked over at him, puzzled. "What?"

"It sounds like she's a bit more than just a 'right hand' to me." Ty commented.

"I was wondering if that was just my imagination." Tonya agreed.

She can't see the blush on Horatio's face, but Ty can. He chuckled as Horatio explained. "Yes, she is, and becoming more and more every day."

They continue to drive in silence. After a few minutes, Horatio heard his phone ring. He pulled it out and looked at the display. He flipped it open with his thumb and pressed the speakerphone button.

"Horatio."

"H. It's Wolfe." Ryan's voice came over the speaker of the little phone.

"Yes, Mr Wolfe. What do you have for me?"

"Truthfully, I'm not sure, H. All of the fraud cases were settled out of court. The attorney of record is a junior partner of the firm Luthor, Wendover and Associates, Esq. by the name of Connor Menendez."

"I see." Horatio replied, thoughtfully.

"That's not the interesting part, though, H." Ryan noted.

Horatio continued to drive. Ty noticed the quirk of a grin tug on the red head's face.

"Ok? What is the interesting part, Ryan?"

Ryan chuckled. "Well, I did some more digging and it turns out that he's got a female relative that works in the Administrative offices of the Rehab Therapy Dept of University Medical Center."

"I see." That got the red head's attention. He though he knew where this was going. "Who?"

"Mrs Menendez." Ryan told him. "The woman in the Administrative offices that I fought with to get Dennis' file from them. The woman that confirmed your first name when I had to drop your name."

Even Ty can see the light bulb go on over Horatio's head.

"Did we just stumble on the motive?" Horatio thought out loud, mostly to himself.

"What was that, H?" Ryan heard him, though.

"Here's what I need for you to do for me, please, Ryan. I need you to take the entire file, and go over it with a fine tooth comb, ok? Please make sure that every relationship, no matter how small, or tenuous, is completely documented."

"Ok, H. I'm on it."

"Thank you, sir."

Once the phone showed that the call had been disconnected, Horatio replied. "Call Tripp."

After a minute, the phone rang on the other end twice, then a male voice with a Texas twang answered."Tripp."

"Hey, there, Francis. What's going on?" Horatio asked.

"Hey, there, yourself, Horatio. I'm getting ready to go pick up Sammy Henderson. We've had a BOLO out for him all morning, and two units just located him." Frank told him.

Horatio laughed. "Excellent. If he gives you a hard time, tell him that I said I needed to speak with him."

Frank laughed. "Ok, H. I'll tell him."

"Thank you, sir."

"Yup. Bye."

"Bye."

Once the display showed disconnected, Horatio closed his phone and put it in his interior coat pocket.

The remainder of the drive was made in silence.


	54. Chapter 54

Chapter 54

As Horatio pulled into the parking lot of the hospital, he saw Calleigh as she walked toward the front doors of the hospital. He honked and she turned toward the sound. She waved when she saw the Hummer had pulled in and parked.

Calleigh waited at the door, but when she saw who was with the red head, her eyes went wide in recognition. "Please, don't tell me you did what it looks like you did?"

Horatio looked over at Ty briefly, then turned to Calleigh, with a decidedly wicked gleam in his eyes. "Ok, I won't."

"But you did." She glanced briefly over at Ty and the others. "Horatio? The team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?"

The red head looked down, that shy, embarrassed grin making a quick appearance. "Yeah, well. It was the only way that I knew of to get Stevie's and Jessica's house back on schedule."

Calleigh shook her head ruefully. "You're crazy, you know that, don't you?" She laughed.

He chuckled as well. When he turned to her, she could see a wicked gleam in his eye. "Yes, ma'am, 100 certifiable."

After they shared a hearty laugh over the comment, he indicated Ty and his team, and made the introductions. He then turned to Ty and explained. "This is Det Calleigh Duquesne. She is the lady I was talking to on the phone earlier. Besides being my right hand at the lab, she's also the boy's adopted Aunt and his godmother."

Ty nodded his understanding. He then pointed to the box. "What's this?"

Horatio picked up the box. "It's a present for Stevie. Speaking of which, let's go."

The group made their way upstairs to Stevie's room, just as he was waking up.

"Hey, there, Sleepyhead." Horatio and Calleigh walked around to stand on either side of the bed.

"How are you feeling, Stevie?" Calleigh asked him.

Stevie shrugged. "Better, but not quite 100 percent, just yet."

"Ok, partner. I'm going to check with Doctor Fitzgerald to see if we're going to have to do another cleansing." Horatio set the package on the table and rolled it over to the bed and pressed the control on the side of the bed to recline the head of the bed.

As the head of the bed came up, Stevie noticed his other visitors. He looked over at Horatio for a moment, then softly asked. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition? I didn't think we were that bad off, H." The bed stopped and he also saw the box. "What's this?"

Horatio motioned toward the box and explained. "I had two very interesting visitors at the lab the other day. They had heard about the robbery and that someone had been injured, so I told them about you. They asked if you were ok. I told them that ultimately you would be, but that you were going to be a very uncomfortable young man for awhile. They said that this was for you and that they hoped you liked it."

Stevie pulled the sheet of paper out from under the ribbon and unfolded it. He scanned it and his eyes went wide and then he looked up at the red head. "'Special K' Daley and 'Hollywood' Turner?" His little voice rose in excitement. "The Globetrotters? H? You can't be serious."

That mischievous gleam came back to the red head's eyes. "I can't, huh?" He chuckled for a minute. "Oh, yes, I can. Just watch me." Horatio gestured toward the box. "Open it up, Stevie. I'm curious to see what it is."

The youngster lifted the lid and pulled the item out. "Whoa!!" He breathed. A brand new, red, white, and blue basketball, with the Globetrotters logo, as well as handwritten signatures covering the entire surface of the ball came out of the box. "Mom!! Look at this!! The entire team signed it!! Whoa!! This is fantastic!!"

"I see that, Stevie. 'Whoa' is right." Jessica is very quick to agree with her son.

The youngster and his mother both looked over at the red head.

Horatio saw their looks and put his hands up. "What? I didn't do anything. They were waiting for Eric and I when we came back to the lab the other day. It was already boxed and wrapped up when they handed it to me. Ask Aunt Calleigh. She's my witness."

"That's true, Stevie. It was." Calleigh admitted. "He's innocent. This time, anyway." She winked at him.

Stevie chuckled as he watched as Horatio blushed, almost as red as his hair. "That time, maybe, but not this time." He pointed toward the door, then looked up at Horatio. "H? The design team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition?"

"You recognized them?" Horatio asked.

The youngster nodded. "Mom and I watch their show from time to time." Stevie fought not to blush as he waved them in. "If I had known you were coming, I would have scrounged a shirt. Please try to ignore how bad I look."

Ty stepped up to the bed, offering the boy his hand. "Don't worry, Stevie. You're fine. How are you feeling?"

Stevie shook the man's hand. "Better, thank you, but not quite 100 percent."

Horatio's eyebrow climbed into his hair. "Ok. I'm going to check with Doctor Fitzgerald. Let's see what your white blood cell count looked like."

"Do you mind if we tag along, Lt?" Tanya asked, as she motioned towards Michael, and herself.

"We'll be right back, Stevie." Horatio moved toward the door.

"We're ok, H." Stevie told him, then turned back to Ty.


	55. Chapter 55

Chapter 55

Horatio, Tanya, and Michael walked out of the room and down the hall, toward the Nurse's Station.

Fitzgerald looked up at their approach. "Lt Caine. How's Stevie doing this morning?"

"He says that he's feeling a little better, but I'm wondering, did the cleansing treatment help, any at all?"

Fitzgerald picked up Stevie's file and motioned for them to follow. "Please come with me, into this conference room, so we can have a bit of privacy."

They followed him into the conference room, and Fitzgerald closed the door behind them. "To answer your question, Lt, yes, it helped, but, no, not as much as I was hoping for, or would have liked."

"So, you're still going to have to do another treatment?" Horatio asked.

Fitzgerald nodded. "Yes, Lt, we'll be doing another one, but I won't be cutting into him again."

"That would definitely be a good thing." Horatio pointed out.

"Yes, it would." Tanya agreed as she and Michael glanced at each other. "Dr, why did the infection run so completely out of control? Is it because he has no immunity?"

Fitzgerald nodded. "Yes, ma'am, it is. Stevie's immunity, unfortunately, has never really bounced back from the accident that paralyzed him."

"Dr Fitzgerald, you should remember that Stevie and his Dad were very close, and, as a result, I think he may still be feeling some of the negative effects of his father's death, as well as the uncertainty of all of this."

"That's true." Michael replied. "Doctor, would it be a good idea if we were to put an air purifier system in the house?"

Fitzgerald nodded again. "That would probably be a good idea, yes."

"That's what we thought. " Tanya replied. "Is there anything else you'd suggest for the inside of the house?"

The doctor thought about that for a minute. "Not anything that wouldn't be obvious, except possibly for a keyless entry system for both the front door, as well as any entry through the garage."

Horatio ducked his head, and grinned. "I had suggested that as well, Doctor." He admitted.

Fitzgerald chuckled. "Oh, ok. In that case, other than the obvious, I can't think of anything else."

"That's fine, thank you, Doctor Fitzgerald." Tanya held out her hand.

The doctor shook her hand. "If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to see it when you get done." He also offered his hand to Michael.

The brunette man also shook the doctor's hand. "We'll try our best to, Doctor, but no promises. Thank you for your time."

"You're more than welcome, Let's go talk to Stevie for just a minute." Doctor Fitzgerald moved toward the door. He opened it and they followed him out and down the hall, to Stevie's room. "Hey, there, Stevie. How are you feeling, kiddo?"

The youngster shrugged. "I think I'm doing better, Dr Fitz, but it still feels like I have no energy. What's going on? I'm not sick with something else, am I?" He looked up at Fitzgerald, concerned.

The blonde Doctor shook his head. "No, you're not, Stevie. This is still your low WBC count talking. It may take a few days before it feels like you have more energy to do anything. Just to be on the safe side, though, we probably should do another cleansing treatment."

Stevie's little eyes grew wide in fear and apprehension. "You're not going to have to cut on me again, are you Dr Fitz?"

The doctor quickly shook his head. "No, Stevie, I wouldn't. This will only be a cleansing."

Horatio looked over, first, at Calleigh, then Jessica, for just a moment, as the fear in Stevie's voice was heard, then hurried over to the youngster's bedside. "Stevie, that means it'll just be that ticklish brush again. Doctor Fitzgerald got the last of the glass the last time."

"I sure do hope so." The youngster's hope is heartfelt.

Horatio looked pointedly over at the doctor."Stevie, I'm positive that I got the last of the glass the last time. I will not have to cut on you any more."

"That's good to hear." Stevie commented.

The doctor chuckled. "Ok. You know the drill. We'll see the two of you in the morning." He looked pointedly over at Horatio, who nodded, quickly.

As the doctor left the room, Horatio looked over at Jessica. "Do me a favor, Jessica, and call over to the Architect and tell him that I'm coming over to pick up the plans."

Jessica looked confused. "Do I ask why?"

Horatio walked around the bed and as he approached her, ducked his head with a hopeful grin, as he took both of her hands in his. "You could ask, Jessica, but I'm asking you to trust me. I don't have all of my facts just yet, but when I do, you'll be the next to know."

Jessica grinned, realizing he wouldn't tell her any thing. She walked around the bed to the hospital phone and used her cell to find their number, then picked up the hospital phone and dialed a number.

The phone rang three times, then a female voice answered. "Thank you for calling Sullivan and Howard Architects Inc. How may I help you?"

"Yes. Clay Sullivan, please?" Jessica replied.

"Yes, ma'am. May I tell him who's calling?"

"Yes, please tell him Jessica Douglas."

"I'll see if he's in for you , Mrs Douglas."

Jessica listened to the hold music for a couple of minutes, then a male voice came on the line.

"Good afternoon, Mrs Douglas. How may I help you today?"

"Well, Mr Sullivan, I'm sending a friend over to pick up the plans for the new house."

"Ok?" He replied hesitantly, panic slowly beginning to build. "May I ask why?"

She chuckled. "You may. We're wanting the plans so that we can go shopping for furniture, etc."

He chuckled, but even Jessica can tell it sounded forced. "That sounds like a good idea. I can have the plans ready for pick up in approximately 15 to 20 minutes. Who should I expect?"

Jessica chuckled. "Yes, my friend's name is Horatio Caine."

"Do you mean Lt Horatio Caine with MDPD?" His voice cracked noticeably in more than one place.

"Yes, I do. Why? Is that a problem?" She asked, curiosity sharpened her tone.

"No, no, no. No problem Mrs Douglas. Everything's fine. You just caught me by surprise, that's all." He told her, quickly, attempting to placate her.

"Ok." Her suspicion is starting to grow. "He should be there then, when you have the plans ready to go."

"Very good." He told her. "Bye."

"Good bye." Jessica looked at the phone, puzzled, then put the phone down, carefully, and turned to Horatio."Ok. That was strange." She thought out loud.

Horatio walked over to her. "Jessica, I, uhhhm." He paused, uncertain how to ask this. "I've been wondering. Do you by chance have a picture of Stan Miller.

Jessica looked puzzled at the red head's question, then turned and picked up her purse. "I think I might." She dug around for a minute or two, then pulled out her wallet. She opened her wallet and began to look through it. "Here it is." She turned the picture, so that she could explain to Horatio. "The man on the left is Stan. The man on the right is Steve." Her voice broke on her husband's name.

"Mom?" Stevie heard her voice break.

As he put the picture in his inner coat pocket with one hand, Horatio put his other hand on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, and offered her a sympathetic grin. She nodded, as she wiped at her eyes. "She's ok, Stevie."

Calleigh walked over to them, and studied her friend for just a minute. "She is, Stevie…."

"Or, at least I will be, Stevie." His Mom tried to reassure him. "Don't worry, son. I'm ok."

"I know, Mom." The youngster told her.

Horatio moved away, but stopped long enough to give the boy a reassuring quirk of a grin, and a wink.

Stevie grinned back, and offered the red head a quick nod. He knew that his Mom just needed time, but that, at least at the moment, the subject of his father was still a very sensitive one to her.

Horatio stopped at the door, then turned back to the others in the room. "I'll be back, but how quickly depends on how cooperative he is."

"Be careful, Horatio." Calleigh called out to him.

"We will." He replied, as he and the team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition walk out the door.


	56. Chapter 56

Chapter 56

In the meantime, when Sullivan hung up from talking with Jessica, he immediately picked the phone back up and dialed a number.

"Hello?" A male voice answered.

"Stan? We've got a problem." Sullivan began without preamble. "You said that she wouldn't question it!! Well, she did and now she's sending a cop over here!! What do I do?!" He sounded on the verge of panic.

"First off, calm down, Clay. Who are we talking about?" Stan asked, crossly.

"You don't understand, Stan!! Jessica Douglas is sending a cop over here to get plans that we both know don't exist!! We're going to get busted for Fraud!!"

"The cop will know something's suspicious, if you don't calm down!!" Stan told him. "Does this cop have a name?"

"Of course. Horatio Caine."

Stan was impressed. "Lt Horatio Caine of the Crime Lab?"

"Apparently so."

"Well, well, well. Jessica is really moving up in the world. I didn't think she'd be trying to fill her dead husband's shoes quite so quickly."

"She told me the Lt was a 'friend'."

"I'll bet." Stan remarked sarcastically. "I'll just take a quick trip over to their temporary apartment and see exactly what is what."

"What do I do with this cop?" Sullivan asked.

"I don't know." Stan admitted. "Normally wouldn't the construction company and/or the contractor have the plans?"

"Copies of the plans, yes." Sullivan explained. "We should still have the original here, though." He pointed out.

Stan sighed. "Ok, well, you still tell him that the Construction team foreman has got the plans."

Just as Sullivan was about to respond, there was a knock on his office door. "Hold on, Stan." He told the other man. "Come in." He called out.

The door opened and a woman looked in to the office. "Excuse me for the interruption, Mr Sullivan. There is a Miami-Dade Police Officer here to see you."

"Does this officer have a name?" He asked.

"Yes, sir." She walked the remainder of the way into the office and up to the desk. "According to his card, Lt Horatio Caine." She passed the card to him.

Sullivan took the card and read it. "All right, Gwen. Please go ahead and send him in." As she nodded, and walked back towards the door, he told Miller. "I'll talk to you later, Stan."

The two men hung up from their conversation.

The brunette woman opened the door. "Excuse me, Lt?"

Horatio turned from the painting that he was looking at on the wall. "Yes, ma'am?"

"Thank you for waiting, Lt. Mr Sullivan will see you now, sir."

Horatio walked toward her. "Thank you, ma'am." He walked into the office and held his hand out to the other man, as she closed the door behind herself. "Mr Sullivan?"

"Yes, sir." Sullivan shook Horatio's hand. "Lt Caine?" Then offered the red head the chair in front of his desk.

"Yes, sir." Horatio sat in the offered chair.

"What can I do for you today, Lt?" Sullivan asked, as nonchalantly as he could.

"Yes, sir. I'm here for the Floor Plans to the Douglas' new home."The younger man nodded. "How are they doing?"

"About as well as can be expected, considering."

"I understand, Lt." The man replied, then added. "Unfortunately, we don't have them."

"I see." Horatio replied, thoughtfully, then decided to just cut to the chase. "Is that because the construction crew has them, or because they don't exist at all?"

Horatio had his answer when the man went as white as a ghost.

"Just what are you implying, Lt." The younger man asked, trying his best to regroup.

"I'm not implying anything, Mr Sullivan." Horatio's voice dropped. "If, when I get to the construction site, they attempt to tell me they don't have it, I will be back, officially, with a warrant that not even your lawyer, or your friend, Stan Miller, will be able to protect you from." He stood up and made his way to the door, and stopped, with his hand on the door knob, and turned back to the younger man. "I hope you're getting the picture."

"Loud and clear." Sullivan replied. As Horatio opened the door, walked out, then slammed the door closed, Sullivan sat back in his chair, as he mumbled. "Stan, you don't know what you've gotten yourself into.

As Horatio walked out to the Hummer, the team from Extreme Makeover: Home Edition could easily tell that he was not very happy. He opened the driver's side door as he pulled out his cell phone. He navigated to his phonebook and found a number, then pressed the button to dial the number, and put the phone to his ear. The phone on the other end rang three times, then Jessica answered it.

"Hello?"

"Jessica? It's Horatio."

"Yes, Horatio?"

"Would Stan Miller know where the apartment is, or what floor it's on?"

She actually had to think about that for a moment. "Honestly, Horatio, I'm not sure. It's possible that he might know the physical location of the building, but he's never been up to the apartment, no. Why?"

"I was just wondering." He told her as he got into the Hummer. "Ty and the design team wanted to see the inside of the apartment. Do you mind if I take them up there without you, or would you rather be with them?"

She chuckled. "No, Horatio, I trust you, and them. I don't need to be there. Also, if they have any questions about the apartment or the house, please tell them to give me a call on my cell. I'm stepping out of Stevie's room for a little bit. His tutor just came in and Kelly says that he will be here for awhile."

"Ok. Good." Horatio thought for just a minute. "He said the other day that he liked strawberry milkshakes. Does he have a favorite place where he likes to go get them from?"

"He actually prefers to get them from DQ, but if it's out of his way, he'll go wherever is closest to get his milkshake fix. If the 'gang' is out at the mall, he's also partial to Smoothies."

Horatio chuckled at her phrasing. "Ok, Jessica. Thank you." He thought of something very quickly. "Also, Jessica, I was wondering, if Sullivan was supposedly doing the Floor Plan for the new house, who had done the Floor Plan for the old house?"

She thought about it for a minute, then told him. "Steve had the original house done by Jackson and Morgan Architecture. Why?"

Horatio laughed. "No reason, Jessica. It's just that I know Craig Jackson, that's all. His was the firm that I was taking the design team to, in order to work on the new house."

Jessica laughed as well. "Calleigh says that you're fond of saying at this point, 'well, what do you know, worlds collide.'."

His laughter turned genuine. "I would have, if you hadn't beaten me to the punch. One last question, then I'll let you go. Would you prefer the house to be two story or one?"

"Well, on the one hand, a one story house would be easier to deal with, if, heaven forbid, we ever have to deal with hurricane preparations, but, on the other hand, the old house was a two story, which is what I think we're accustomed to."

"Also, a one story house would eat up the land faster." He pointed out as well.

"This is true too." Jessica agreed.

"Ok, let me see what we can do about that." Horatio told her. "I'll be back in a while."

"Ok. Please be careful, Horatio. See you in a bit."

"Yes, ma'am. Bye."When the display on Horatio's phone showed disconnected, he dialed a different number, then put the phone to his ear again.

After two rings, the phone was answered and Frank's Texas twang came over the speaker.

"Ello?"

"Yeah, Frank. I need you to do me a favor and go get me a couple of warrants. I want one for the offices of Sullivan and Howard Architects Inc, as well as another for Winter's Construction, specifically, the site of Stevie's and Jessica's house."

"Ok. What's the charge going to be?"

"Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit." Horatio told him.

"That's going to be hard to prove, isn't it, Horatio?"

"Have you ever known me to pursue a case where we either had little or no direct evidence, at first, but that we've been able to build up a case, slowly, but surely."

Frank chuckled. "You actually used to do it fairly often, but not quite so much any more."

Horatio also chuckled. "Thanks a lot, Francis. Please try to do your best, and let me know when you have them."

"I'm on it." Frank told him. "Be back as quick as I can. Bye."

"Yup. Bye." Horatio replied. After a minute, the display showed the call disconnected, Horatio put his cell phone in his inner coat pocket, then put the key in the ignition. He started the engine, then turned to Ty. "We're going to go by the temporary apartment, and I'll show you what it looks like, then I'll drive you over to the Architects offices."

"That sounds like a plan to me. Let's go." Ty agreed.


	57. Chapter 57

Chapter 57

Horatio drove over to the apartment building. He turned off the Hummer and went into the lobby of the building. He turned to Ty and explained. "Do me a favor, Ty, and wait by the elevators, ok?"

Ty nodded as he, Michael, Paul, and Tanya walked over to the bank of elevators.

Horatio walked over to the Security Station right behind this other man, who was wearing a dark grey 3 piece suit and matching tie with a red shirt. Horatio also noticed that the man appeared to be younger than he, but not by a lot, and that he had sandy blonde hair and, when the man turned to give him a brief glance, light brown eyes.

"Excuse me, officer, is Mrs Douglas home?"

Before the officer behind the desk could say anything Horatio told the man. "No, sir. She is not. I will be meeting up with her later. Can I take a message to her for you, Mr…?"

"Stan Miller." The man held his hand out to the red head. "You are….?"

"Lt. Horatio Caine." Horatio shook the other man's hand."Ah, yes, Lt Caine. I wasn't aware that they knew you."

"I know a lot of people here in Miami, Mr Miller, however, to tell you the truth, I don't think I ever met Steve, Sr, but I recently came to know Jessica and Stevie through a mutual friend." Horatio explained.

Miller nodded. "I see." He replied, thoughtfully. He looked over at the red head concerned. "How are they doing?"

"About as well as can be expected." Horatio admitted.

Horatio watched as Miller's face showed his confusion."Did something else happen?"

"You could say that." Horatio told the man cryptically. "Although I suspect you're already aware of what else has happened to them."

Miller continued to look confused. "What makes you think I know about what, if anything, else, has happened to them?"

"As soon as I have all the pieces put together, trust me, Mr Miller, I will let you know."

Miller looked over at Horatio sharply. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course you don't." Horatio responded sarcastically, under his breath. Raising his voice just slightly, Horatio told the other man. "Please don't leave Miami, Mr Miller. Our paths are going to cross again sooner than you think."

Miller scowled at Horatio as he walked past the man, bumping him shoulder to shoulder. He doesn't see Horatio's predatory grin.

Once Miller was out the main doors, Horatio turned to the Security Officer. "If he comes back, he is not to get upstairs, even if Mrs Douglas is home, she's not to him."

The officer nodded. "I understand, Lt. I'll pass the word along. The man said his name was Stan Miller, correct?"

"Yes, sir." Horatio replied as he watched the officer work for a moment behind the desk. "Has anyone else attempted to go up to see either Jessica or Stevie over the last few days?"

The officer thought about it for a moment, then turned and looked at the red head. "No, sir. Not since the afternoon of the robbery."

"Very good." Horatio commented. "Ok. If she's home, please call up to the apartment, before you send anyone up. If she's not, or if she doesn't want to be disturbed, then…."

"I get it, Lt." The guard told him with a chuckle. "Don't worry. She's not the only VIP we have staying here."

"Right now, she's the only one that I'm concerned with." Horatio commented.

"Yes, sir." The younger man watched him walk toward the elevators."May I have the keys to her apartment?" Horatio held out his hand.

"Yes, sir." The young Security Officer dropped the keys into the red head's hand. "There you go, Lt."

"Thank you." Horatio replied, as he walked over to the design team. "Ok, gang, let's go."

The elevator doors opened, and they filed into the car. Horatio pressed the button for their floor, then turned to the Design Team. "I'm sorry you guys had to see all of this. I had hoped to have that 'interview' done after I had dropped you off at the Architects offices."

"That's not a problem, Lt." Ty began.

"In fact…."

"Horatio." The red head interrupted. When that got confused looks from the Design Team, Horatio clarified. "I've actually been meaning to tell you, most of my friends and acquaintances know my first name is Horatio."

The Design Team traded looks."Don't apologize for doing your job, Horatio." Tanya told him. "We understand that you're in the middle of an investigation into what happened."

"I don't envy you having to iron all this out." Michael noticed. "It even sounds like it's complicated."

"Yes, it does." Ty agreed.

The elevator slowed to a stop, then opened the doors with a 'ding'. The Design Team followed Horatio out the elevator car and down the hall.

"Luckily we're making headway in the investigation." Horatio admitted. "But it is still slow going. Almost everything seems to be centering on Stevie, so, we do have to tread very lightly."

"Yes, you do." Paul added. "I'm going to wish you lots of good luck with it, Horatio, because that has the potential to blow up on you."

Horatio smirked. "It's a good thing, that I'm a bomb expert, then." He put the key in and unlocked the door.

The Design Team laughed.

Ty gently patted Horatio on the back of his shoulder as they walked through the door, into the apartment. "Yes, it is, Horatio. Please be careful though. In just the little bit of time we spent with them, you are very important to both of them. I'd hate to have something happen to you."

Horatio looked down at his hands, embarrassed that they were able to read the situation so clearly.

"They're pretty important to me, too, Ty. That's why I'm working so hard to get this done for them."

They moved into the apartment's living room.

"This, obviously, is the living room. I don't see anything in here that I would want to change, but I'll let you folks be the judge. You're going to want to leave plenty of room for Stevie to maneuver his chair around in all of the rooms." Horatio commented.

"Ok, let's go into the kitchen." Tanya suggested.

Horatio walked in to the kitchen. "Here we go. One suggestion that I've thought of, is that, if it's possible, to put an island into the kitchen. Stevie and Jessica have both said that they love to spend time together in the kitchen, and while I would love for them to be able to continue to do that, I'm not sure that it'll be possible, with Stevie's wheelchair in the equation. Also, Stevie has admitted that he loves milkshakes and smoothies. I think it'd be a good idea if he could be able to make his own when he wanted them."

Both Tanya and Michael nodded.

"That would be a good idea." Michael agreed.

"Stevie's wheelchair is not as much of an obstacle as you're thinking, Horatio. We'll take it into consideration whenever we're designing the house with the architect." Tanya told the man. "I've noticed that the kitchen here has already been fitted with appliances that are already accessible for him."

"That is correct." Horatio confirmed. "The entire apartment building was designed for people who have difficulties getting around, or who need wheelchairs or walkers to get around."

"Being this close to the hospital, I imagine it was done for a purpose?" Ty asked.Horatio nodded. "That's very true, Ty. It was. With University Medical Center one of the premier facilities of it's kind, in this part of the country, we also get people here from other, neighboring, states. The rent is controlled here, because, especially with people like Stevie, and Jessica, the expense was completely unexpected, and as a result, people who are here to take advantage of the medical facilities may not have the extra money needed for a short, or even long term housing situation."

The Design Team looked at each other.

"In other words, even though Stevie and Jessica have the apartment for as long as they may need it, we still need to get the house done as relatively quickly as possible?"

"Exactly." Horatio confirmed. "The only other room that I think you may want to see is Stevie's room."

"Lead the way." Tanya asked.

Horatio walked down the hall, to the room on the left. "Here's Stevie's room. The only thing in here, that I don't completely agree with is the way the closet is designed. If the clothes on the upper rack get to be too heavy, then he'd have a hard time lifting it back into place. I'd almost prefer to have an electronic system there, but I'll leave that up to all of you."

"Is there anything you can think of that wouldn't be immediately obvious?" Michael asked as he came out of the bathroom.

"Well, as I've said, he fancies himself an artist of various mediums. From what I can gather his preferred mediums are colored pencils, and pen and ink, as well as with the computer." Horatio explained. "One thing I can suggest there, is a larger sized scanner, to be able to scan his pictures into the computer, but I can work on that, if you will allow me to."

"That kind of help we definitely could use." Michael told the red head.

Horatio chuckled. "That's not a problem. Any other comments, questions, or concerns?"

Ty came into the room just then. "You guys get to work on the rest of the house, but I think Mom's room will be my special project for this family."

"I was going to suggest that, Ty." Tanya admitted. "She's going to need a very special place to recharge her batteries, and to be able to sit and think, if she wants to, or even to get away from Stevie and his friends."

They chuckled at the joke.

"Ok, so, are we ready to leave?" Horatio asked.

Four heads bob up and down in agreement.

They backtrack themselves from the apartment, stopping long enough for Horatio to make sure that the door is locked, to the elevator, then down to the lobby, again, long enough for Horatio to stop at the Security Station to give the keys back to the guard, then out to the Hummer. Horatio drove them over to Craig's office. They walked into the reception area.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to Jackson and Morgan Architecture. How may we help you?"

"Yes, is Craig Jackson available?" Horatio asked.

"He may be sir." The tall brunette young woman replied. "May I tell him who wishes to see him, please?"

Horatio nodded. "Yes, please tell him his fellow Musketeer, Lt Horatio Caine, would like to speak with him." The red head grinned at the thought.

The young woman also grinned. "Please wait right here, sir, and I'll be right back."

As she walked away, Horatio replied. "Thank you, ma'am."

After a minute, or two, a man came out of the office. "H, hey there, fellow Musketeer." The two men hugged.

Horatio stepped out of the hug and offered the man his hand. "How are things going here, Craig."

Craig was almost as tall as Horatio was, and had brown hair and eyes. He shook the red head's hand. "Very well, H. Did you ever figure out if I was going to work on that house for your young friend?"

Horatio cracked a grin. "Actually, there's a couple of things I need to tell you about that." He turned to the design team, and made the introductions. "You'll be doing the drawing, but they're going to be giving you ideas of what to draw."

"That's not a problem, H. Just like I told you when you first called me about this. I will enjoy the education and hopefully it'll give me the 'foundation' to be able to work on another house for someone else who may be mobility challenged."

Horatio and the design team groaned at the attempt at a joke. "Craig, you didn't."

"Oh, but I did." The man teased.

"The curve ball to all of this is that you and your team designed the house for them originally."

Craig looked confused. "Who are we talking about, H?"

"Mr and Mrs Douglas." Horatio told him.

"You're kidding?" Craig asked incredulous. When he realized that the red head was, in fact, quite serious, Craig looked off in the distance, lost in his own memories of the young family. "I don't believe it." He said after a moment. He looked over at his friend for a moment. "I remember hearing about Steve's accident, and the fact that he had been killed, I just didn't make the association right away. Their little boy was injured fairly seriously in that accident, wasn't he?"

"He was paralyzed from the waist down, Craig. That's why we're having to redesign the house, due to the change in Stevie's mobility."

"I get it, Horatio. Don't worry. We'll get it all taken care of." Craig told his friend.

"Of that I have no doubt, Craig." Horatio told him. "I've actually given the design team several ideas, but if you can't work them in, don't worry about it."

"If I know you, buddy, they're probably very good ideas. We'll see what we can do."

Horatio cracked a grin, as he looked down at the floor. "I'm not so sure how good they are, but please do your best." He looked back up at Ty and the team. "Whenever you think you might be ready to go back to Hollywood, let me know, and I'll either come get you, or send someone." He gave Ty his cell phone number, and once he felt everything was ok, he said. "Ok, I'm out of here. Try to play nice, and if you have any other questions either call me, or Jessica."

Craig laughed. "We've got it covered, boss. Get out of here. Go get the bad guys."

"Yes, sir." Horatio replied with more than just a little enthusiasm, as he moved toward the door.


	58. Chapter 58

Hey, there, gang. I'm really sorry for the long time between updates. RL can be such a pain. Anyway, I'm still working on the story, don't worry. I have the thing mapped out, in my head, it's just trying to write it out on paper, then into the computer, that is the challenge. Anyway, I'm still here, and I'm still working on it, just to let you know. Anyway, here's the next new chapter.

Chapter 58

Horatio walked out the door from Craig's office, to the Hummer, just as the phone rang. He pulled it out and lifted the lid with his thumb, as he put the device to his ear. "Horatio."

"Yeah, H, it's me." Frank's distinctive voice came over the line. "I got those two warrants that you wanted."

"Excellent." Horatio replied. "Now, one is for the Architect, and the other is for the construction site. Which do you want?"

"I guess I'll take the Architect." Frank told him.

"Ok. Do me a favor and have two or three Paddy Wagons meet us over at the construction site."

"I'm on it, H." Frank told him. "By the way, Sammy Henderson is waiting for you over at P.D."

"Thank you, kindly, sir." Horatio told him. "He'll be first, when I get back over there."

"Ok." Frank replied. "I'll catch up with you there."

"Yes, you will." Horatio agreed, then added. "Thanks again, Francis, for all your help."

"You're welcome, sir." Frank hung up, then called in to dispatch to request the squad cars and the wagons to meet Horatio at the construction site.

Horatio's Hummer was the last in a long line of vehicles that turned the corner going on to the Douglas' property, with sirens and lights going.

Several of the men from the construction crew looked up in confusion at the sound and lights.

Suddenly police officers had surrounded the crew and told the men to stop what they were doing. Once they had, the police officers corralled the crew into the three paddy wagons.

Everyone, that is, except for three men who were kept separate from the others.

Horatio turned to the lead officer and told him. "Keep these three men separated. Transport them separately and once we get back to PD, put them in separate Interrogation rooms. Don't give them a chance to conjure up a story amongst themselves."

"Don't worry, Lt." The officer, one Harry Phillips, told the red head. "We've got it. They'll be transported individually."

"Thank you, sir." Horatio responded. He watched as they packed up the crew, then he put on a pair of latex gloves and picked up his camera from the lab, then walked into the site office.

Horatio began to systematically photograph the entire office, front to back and left to right. Every piece of paper on the desk, as well as on the wall, was very carefully documented. He quickly noticed that there were no plans on the desk or hung up on the wall. _How did they know what kind of layout to use, or how to design the house_? He thought to himself.

Once the office was fully documented, Horatio moved through the office, slowly, as he looked for both prints, and trace.

Horatio packed his kit, along with the tape lifts and the fingerprint cards, into the Hummer. He went back to the lab and stopped at Trace, first.

When the door opened, Ryan looked up to see who was coming in. "Hey, there, H. What's going on?"

"Hey there, Mr Wolfe. I got these from the Construction office. Do me a favor and run them. I doubt that you'll find anything out of the ordinary, but you never know." Horatio shrugged.

Ryan nodded. "I'll get right on it, H." The younger man held out a thick file. "In the meantime, here's the case file, as well as that analysis that you wanted."

Horatio took the file from him with a grin. "Ah, yes. Thank you, Mr Wolfe." He turned and walked to the door.

"You're welcome." Ryan watched the red head leave.

Horatio's next stop was the fingerprint lab.

Eric also looked up at the door opening. "Hey, H." Eric saw the box the older man carried. "What have you got for me?"

Horatio set the box on the table and turned to the younger man. He winked at Eric, as he looked over at the Cuban young man, his hands automatically found that comfortable place on his hips. "Wait a minute! That's my line, Eric."

The two men laughed at the joke.

Horatio pulled several smaller envelopes, as well as several larger envelopes out of the box. "I pulled these prints out of the construction office at the site where Stevie's and Jessica's house is being renovated. I'm not really expecting anything out of the ordinary, but you never know."

Eric nodded. "Don't worry, H. If anything out of the ordinary comes up, I'll find you. Do you have the men from the construction company over at PD?"

"Yes, I do. In fact, I'm going over there now, to interview them. Would you like to come with?"

Eric nodded as he picked up the envelopes, and filed them in the secured cabinet. "Absolutely. I wouldn't want to miss the fun." Once he locked the cabinet, he turned and picked up a thick stack of blank 10-cards and the larger ink pad he used for taking prints. "Ok, let's go." He patted the red head on the shoulder.

Once they got over to PD, they instantly ran into Frank Tripp.

"Hey, there, Frank." Horatio greeted his larger friend. "What have you got for me?"

Frank turned at his friend's greeting. "Hey there, H. Sammy Henderson is cooling his heels in Interrogation Room 3, and the three men from the construction site are all in separate cells. The crew men are in one cell separated from them."

"Very good." Horatio looked from Frank to Eric. "Let's go talk to Sammy, then we can work our magic on the men from the construction site."

"Let's do this." Frank agreed, as Eric nodded.

The men walked into Interrogation Room 3. Sammy looked up at the door opening, then paled, when he realized who one of the officers was. Sammy had olive skin, with black hair, and bushy eyebrows. They had rounded him up wearing a Hawaiian print shirt over a wife beater, blue jeans and sneakers.

"Detective Caine? What brings you by?" The man asked.

"It's Lt, now, Sammy." The red head replied. "But you knew that, didn't you?" When Sammy didn't say anything further, Horatio asked. "How have things been going, Sammy?"

"Oh, you know." Sammy responded. "Same old, same old." Sammy looked around at the beehive of activity outside of the room, then looked up at the red head. "What am I doing here? What do you want?"

Horatio looked from Eric, to Frank, then back down to Sammy with an obviously fake hurt look on his face. "What? I can't invite a friend over for a visit?"

He opened the file in his hand, and pulled out a piece of paper. "Ok, Sammy. You want me to cut to the chase. Here we go. You did some work for someone recently, and I need to know what you remember about this person." He laid the paper on the table, then slid it across to Sammy.

Sammy wordlessly took the paper, and studied it. He remembered who he had done it for, and also that the man had said that he would pay Sammy very handsomely to keep his mouth shut. He slid the paper back over to the red head, as he looked up at the man. "This isn't my work, Lt. You've got the wrong man."

"Sammy." Horatio chided in a tone that said he knew the Italian man was lying. He pulled out another piece of paper, and also laid it on the table. As he moved it toward the man, Horatio added. "You of all people should know that I don't bring you in, unless I have the evidence, and I do." He pointed to the picture. "You see each of these circles, Sammy?" When the man nodded, Horatio continued. "My QD specialist found those inconsistencies, and I found several others besides these that prove you were the artist responsible."

When Sammy continued to remain silent, Horatio urged him."Talk to me, Sammy. If you tell me what I want to know, I'll speak with the ASA about getting you the lightest sentence possible."

Sammy continued to stare at the paper for a few minutes longer, then looked up at the red head. "I was at the restaurant and this man came in. He said that he needed certificates for someone to be a Physical Therapist."

"Oh, come on. You didn't think that sounded just a bit odd?" Frank asked the man. "Did you leave your brain at home that day?"

Sammy looked over at the large Texan. "I told him that was a very specialized field and that having someone like me make up the paperwork wouldn't help out if he didn't have even a clue on how to pass for one, and that it wasn't possible to bluff his way through something like that. The man said not to worry, that the person he wanted the paperwork for knew what he was doing."

Sammy looked back down at the picture, and sighed. "I took him for his word, and I made up the certificates. I called and told him the paperwork was ready, and him and this other guy came and got the paperwork. The man paid me my regular fee, as well as a bit extra, for what he called 'silence insurance'."

Horatio pulled the paper back over toward himself, and looked at it for a moment. "Was Dennis Miller the name of the other guy that came with him to pick up the paperwork?"

Sammy nodded.

Horatio pulled out the photograph from the file, that Stevie had identified Dennis from. "Is Dennis in this picture?"

Sammy nodded again. "Yeah, this is Dennis." He pointed to the man on the left.

Horatio picked up the picture, and pulled it back in the file. He then pulled the picture out of his coat pocket of Stan Miller and Steve, Senior. "Is the man who paid you in this picture?" He showed the picture to Sammy.

Sammy nodded once again. "Yes. This is the man who paid me." He pointed to the man on the left, Stan Miller.

"Did Mr Miller ever say anything about why he needed these certificates, or why he needed Dennis to be able to be a Physical Therapist?"

Sammy shook his head. "All he said was that he needed for Dennis to be able to move around the hospital, and to be as invisible as possible."

"Uh, huh." Horatio replied, thoughtfully. He looked passed Sammy and waved an officer into the room. "Sammy, you're under arrest for Forgery, and falsifying documents, and aiding and abetting in child abuse."

Sammy stood up in alarm. "Wait a minute!! What child abuse?"

Eric took up the interview. "The reason why Dennis wanted to be a Physical Therapist, and why he had to be as invisible in a hospital as possible, was because he was there to keep tabs on a 12 year old boy. As the boy's Physical Therapist, he was emotionally, as well as psychologically, abusive to the boy he was supposed to be helping. Your making the certificates, made it possible for him to be there at all. You aided and abetted in him being able to be there. It also makes you a co-conspirator in whatever reasoning that Stan Miller has in doing this."

"That's why I'm not charging you with conspiracy, Sammy. The next time someone comes to you with such a strange request, you might want to think twice about accepting it. Think on that while you sit in processing." Horatio told him as the officer took Sammy away.

When the door closed behind the officer and Sammy, Frank asked. "What is so special about this kid, Horatio?"

"That's a very good question, Frank." Horatio admitted. "I'm not so sure it's Stevie, though. I think it's more of a case of Stevie being his father's son."

Eric looked confused. "What makes you say that, H? Stevie is at the center of all of this activity. He's been the victim of everything that's happened."

"That's very true, Eric, but Stan Miller has been the cause of all of it, and Stan would only have known Steve, Senior. He may have known Stevie by association, but he wouldn't have been a direct 'enemy' of the boy's. The question isn't what is so special about the kid, but more likely what special happened at the lab in about the last year of his life, that he may not necessarily have told his family about."

"What do you mean, Horatio?" Frank asked.

"Well, either he didn't tell them, out of habit, like what we do sometimes, for security reasons, or, if he did tell them, he didn't deem it serious enough to make a big deal out of it. I'll try to ask Jessica or Stevie about it tomorrow when I'm there. In the meantime, Eric, go ahead and print the three management types from the Construction company, then we'll interview them."

"I'm on it, H." Eric walked away.

"I'll be right back, Horatio." Frank also turned to leave.

"I'll be here." Horatio told the men. He pulled his phone out of his pocket to check for any messages, just as he sensed someone walk past him. He closed his phone and looked up. He noticed who had walked past him, and called out to the younger man. "Officer Jessop?"

The brunette younger man turned at the voice. "Yes, sir, Lt?"

Horatio put his phone back in his inside coat pocket. "How would you like to make some overtime?"

The officer nodded. "Sure."

"There's a young man that I know and his life may be in danger."

"Witness or victim?" The young officer asked.

"He's both." The red head explained.

"Ok. What's his name?" Jessop instantly asked.

"His name is Stevie Douglas, and, currently, he's a guest at University Medical Center, Room 525 West, on the fifth floor. You see or hear anything unusual, you let me know." Horatio told him.

The young man nodded briefly. "You can count on me, sir." He told the red head as he turned to walk away.

"Good." Horatio told the retreating figure. "Thank you."


	59. Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Eric and Frank came back at almost the same time.

"Ok, H. How did you want to play this?" Eric asked.

"Frank, let's bring the three of them individually into Interrogation Room 5. Let's also have their escorts remain in the room, just in case."

"I'm on it." Frank turned to walk away.

After a few minutes, he came back with three officers bringing their own prisoners.

Horatio opened the door. "In here, please, gentlemen."

The officers follow him in and walked their prisoners in and around the table. Each officer pulled out a chair and indicated they were to sit down, which each of the men did.

Horatio stood in front of the table with his hands on his hips. "Gentlemen, how were you going to continue to build a house with no plans?"

"We had plans." One of the men, Henry Lynn, a thin man with blonde hair and brown eyes, told him.

"Really?" Horatio asked in surprise. "I searched that entire office, top to bottom, back to front, and left to right. I also checked both filing cabinets that were there, and there were no plans."

Horatio watched the men trade nervous glances, then asked. "Were you going to build it through osmosis or were you going to use someone's imagination?"

The silence continued to lengthen as the men, again, traded nervous looks.

Horatio traded a look first with Eric, then Frank, then turned to look at the three prisoners. "Gentlemen. I'm not just a pretty face." He pinched his hair and lifted a lock off his own head. "This is ginger red, not strawberry blonde, or even straight blonde, so please do not insult my intelligence. The three of you each are looking at Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit Fraud charges. If you tell me what I want to know, I may be able to do something about the length of your sentences, otherwise…."

"Hold it a minute, Lt." Don Winters exclaimed. Don was a tall man, with broad shoulders, and salt and pepper hair and grey eyes. "Stan said to push the completion date back as far as possible."

"Do you always do everything Stan says?" Horatio asked. When they don't respond, he continued. "Did any of you robots happen to record why he wanted you to crawl at a snail's pace?"

Two of the men shook their heads, but Don spoke up again."

He said something about that the son needed to learn the lesson his father missed."

"What lesson?" Eric asked alarmed.

"He didn't say. Just that the kid needed to learn some kind of lesson." Don admitted.

"Did Stan say what happened at the lab to cause him to want Steve to learn this lesson?"

Don shook his head.

"Alright, Mr Winters. Did the crew know why you were going at a snail's pace."

"No." Don replied.

"Ok. I'm going to send them home, but you three are here as my guests." Horatio looked up at the officers. "Go ahead and take them back to their cells. Process them when you have the chance. The charges are Fraud and Conspiracy to Commit."

The officers prodded their prisoners out of their chairs, and moved them toward the door.

"Well, it sounds like you're right about one thing, Horatio." Frank observed.

"Only one?" Horatio commented, as he looked down at the floor. "What about, Francis?"

"Just one this time." Frank teased. "About the kid being the target, only because he's his father's son."

"It certainly appears to be the case, doesn't it?" Horatio continued to look at the floor.

"What are we going to do about it, H?" Eric asked. "Nothing else really needs to happen to that kid. His plate has been full enough. He doesn't need anything else."

"I agree, Eric." Horatio looked up and tilted his head. "While I was waiting on you two to come back, I ran into Officer Jessop, and when I explained about Stevie, he understood the problem, and indicated that he had a handle on it."

"Jessop's a good kid. We can count on him." Frank told them.

"I got that impression." Horatio agreed. "Here's what we'll do in the meantime, Eric, I'll have you get the prints from the crew, then Frank, I'd like you to bring them in to Interrogation Room 5. I just want to make sure that no one overheard anything that might be significant."


	60. Chapter 60

Chapter 60

None of the Construction crew men had any additional information to provide. Horatio told each of them that although Winters construction was being pulled off the job, that if they talked to Sam Hunter, with Hunter Construction, that they may be able to keep their jobs, but only if they stayed clean. He gave them each a business card, and told them that if they wanted to continue to work on the house, for real, to talk to Sam, and mention his name.

As they drove back to the Lab, Horatio pulled out his cell phone. He lifted the cover to his phone. "Call Sam."

Eric looked confused. "Who's Sam?"

"I'll tell you in a minute." Horatio told the younger man, as the phone rang a third time on the other end.

A male voice replied. "Hunter Construction. This is Sam."

Horatio cracked a grin. "Hey, Sam. What's going on?"

"Horatio?" The other man chuckled over the phone. "Well, well, well, the prodigal partner returns. What can I do you for, partner?"

"Well, I wanted to let you know that Craig is going to be in contact, and that I have some men from a project that Winters Construction was working on, that they have been pulled off of. Would you be willing to take them in?"

"H." Sam replied warningly. "You know how I feel about that. If I can't trust them, they won't stay long."

"I know, Sam." Horatio told the man. "I have this feeling that only the ones you will be able to trust will even apply. Craig will be giving you all of the details, but this is a project that will need to be done very, very quickly, and you're going to need all the help you can get."

"Uh, huh." Sam replied. "Ok, fine."

"Have I ever steered you wrong before, Sam? Trust me." Horatio told the man with just a touch of humor in his voice.

"No comment, Horatio. Don't be a stranger."

Horatio chuckled. "Yup. Bye." He then hung up his phone and put it back in his pocket.

A few minutes later, Eric's phone rang. He pulled it from his belt and looked at the display.

"It's Miguel." Eric told Horatio. He flipped open the cover of his phone and put it to his ear.

"Hey, Miguel. What's going on?"

"Not much. We're getting things together slowly but surely. I actually need one or both of you to come by sometime tomorrow. I wanted to ask you about a couple of things."

"I'm not sure what time we'll be by, but some time tomorrow, we'll come by and see what's up."

"Ok. We'll see you then. Bye."

"Bye." Eric hung up, and turned to Horatio. "Miguel said that he needed us to come by some time tomorrow. I told him we would."

"Ok. Did he say what he needed, Eric?"

The Cuban younger man shook his head. "He only said that he wanted our opinion on a couple of things."

"Ok. We'll go see what Miguel wants after we back Stevie up."

"Sounds like a plan." Eric agreed.

Once they got back to the lab, Horatio told Eric.

"Do me a favor Eric and run those prints with what I got out of the office."

"I'll let you know if I get anything." Eric told the older man.

"Thank you, sir." Horatio walked off the other direction in search of a certain blonde. He found her in the Ballistics lab test firing a gun from a scene that the 2nd shift had gotten the night before.

Calleigh slid the safety in place, then pulled the magazine and checked the chamber. It was empty, as it was supposed to have been, so she laid the gun and the magazine on the table, as well as her ear and eye protection. She walked through the small swinging door and over to the collection chamber. As she retrieved the bullets from the chamber, she called out.

"Hey there, Handsome. Where did you disappear to?"

"Hey there, yourself, Beautiful. I just had a couple of errands to run."

"Ok." Calleigh though about that for a moment. "What's going on?" She asked.

Horatio looked confused for a moment. "What do you mean, Calleigh?"

"Horatio, please, don't do this. You're investigating this as a major crime. You wouldn't be doing this, unless you had a reason to. Please talk to me. What's going on?"

Horatio looked down at the floor, that shy grin taking over. _Am I really that transparent_? "Yes, I think I have a reason to, Calleigh. For now, I need you to trust me. I'll tell you everything when I think I have all my ducks in a row, ok?"

She looked into his eyes and saw that he was telling her the truth, or at least as much as he was willing to share. She knew that she would not get any information out of him, until he was willing to reveal what he knew, and in the meantime, she, Jessica, and Stevie were the safest they could be until the case was solved. She gave him her megawatt smile, and told him.

"Of course I trust you, Horatio. That has never been the issue. I just want to be able to enjoy watching Stevie grow up without having to worry about what bad thing would happen to him next."

"I know, Calleigh, and I'm working on making that happen. Stevie is a very good boy under normal circumstances, and he would never willingly cause you or Mom to worry about him. The boys and I are working on solving the mystery of his bad luck. I don't want you to worry. As I said, when I have my ducks all in a row, I promise, you'll be the next to know."

Calleigh chuckled, knowing that was as much as he would tell her. She knew that Horatio was the master at Poker, and that he could keep information to himself forever, if he had to. She smiled at him, as she wrapped her arms around him. "As I said, Handsome, I trust you, just promise that you'll be careful? I'd hate to have something happen to you."

"Yes, ma'am. I promise." He told her, that shy smile coming out. "I realize what short notice this is, but would you be interested in going out to dinner with me?"

"Not that short of notice." Calleigh told him. "Would I need to go home and change into something more presentable?"

Horatio took a slight step back and took in her appearance. Dark grey slacks, and a forest green button down blouse. Dress shoes gave her just a bit more height than her normal shorter stature would be. "No. You look fine just the way you are. What time were you going to try to get out of here?"

Calleigh shrugged. "I'm not sure. Unless we get a call out, maybe 4 or 5 o'clock."

"Ok. Let's make it …….." His phone rung, interrupting his train of thought. He took a full step back from her, and retrieved his phone out of his inner jacket pocket. He looked at the Caller ID, and saw that it read 'Ty'.


	61. Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Horatio flipped open his phone with his thumb and put that device to his ear. "Horatio."

"Hey, Horatio. It's Ty."

"Yes, sir." Horatio replied."Could you come by and pick us up. We need to be heading back to Hollywood."

"I can do that for you, Ty. Will you need to be coming back tomorrow?"

"I'll get back to you on that, Horatio." Ty told him, knowing that the red head had prearranged plans to be at the hospital in the morning, to help Stevie with his treatment.

"That's fine, Ty. I'll be by to get you here in a few minutes, Ok?"

"Ok." The two men hung up.

Horatio looked down at his phone, then back up to Calleigh. As he closed his phone and put it back in his inner jacket pocket, she asked."Let me guess, they're needing a lift back to Hollywood?"

Horatio nodded. "They are. I should be back in plenty of time for dinner, but, do me a favor and call me around 4:30, just to see where I'm at?"

Calleigh hugged him. "I can do that for you, Handsome, just, please be careful."

That shy grin came out as Horatio looked down at the floor. "Yes, ma'am, or at least I'll try to."

They hugged once more, then Horatio released Calleigh and turned toward the door.

"I'll see you when I get back." He told her.

"Yes, you will." She replied, as the door closed behind him.

Horatio drove over to Craig's office. He walked in to the office."Hey, gang. What have you got for me?"

Craig looked up. "Hey, H. We're working on the floor plan and we believe we have the ground floor completed."

"I don't want to jinx it, but, can I see?" Horatio asked.

"H. You're not going to jinx us." Craig gently chided. He lifted the cover off the plans. "We were, in fact, able to use a couple of the suggestions you made. We were able to put an island into the kitchen, as well as a Smoothie Station for him. We were also able to put in a pantry that he'll be able to get into if Mom's still in bed or goes out at night or something."

"That was a great idea too." Horatio agreed. "Did you decide if it was going to be a one story or a two story house?"

Craig nodded. "Even with the size of the plot of land in the equation, as well as Florida's predictable storm season, we decided to make the house two stories. We're going to have two elevators in two different locations in the house."

"That's probably a good idea too." Horatio agreed. "One thing I've just thought of is when Sam gets to the outside storm shutters, to have him contact Coleman Shutters. Have him ask to speak specifically to either Morgan or Freddy Coleman, preferably Morgan, but either will do. Drop my name and tell them what you need. See what they can do for us."

Craig had been writing notes to himself as Horatio made his explanation. He chuckled as he shook his head. "You and your contacts." He teased. He looked up to the red head as he asked. "Do I really want to know exactly how you know the Coleman's?"

"What?" Horatio asked innocently. He looked over at the Design Team and winked as he replied. "You mean me and my magnetic personality? You must be joking."

Horatio heard Tanya stifle a giggle. He looked down at Craig and both men nodded. "Ok. Let's get this show on the road. We do need to get you back to Hollywood."

"That's a good idea. It is getting kind of late." Ty agreed.

Horatio looked at Craig again. "Do you need them to come back again tomorrow?"

Craig thought about it for a minute, then looked at the team. "What do you think, gang? Can we do this by text and email or what?"

The Design Team traded looks. "It would be better if we continued to do things this way." Tanya suggested."There is a slight curve ball to that." Horatio pointed out. "I have to be at the hospital very early in the morning for Stevie, so I'm not going to be able to come get you."

"Don't worry about it, Horatio." Ty told him. "We have a vehicle that we can drive. I asked you to drive us today because we're relatively new in the area and we didn't know exactly where we were going. Now that we do know, we can make it to and from on our own."

Horatio nodded. "That sounds like a plan to me. Let's go."

The five of them made their way out to the Hummer. Behind the wheel, Horatio maneuvered the large vehicle out of the driveway and out, on to the roads. After a few minutes, Horatio's cell phone rang. He lifted the lid with his thumb and turned on the speaker phone.

"Horatio."

"Hey, H. It's Stevie." The distinctive young voice came through the speaker.

Horatio and Ty shared a grin from the front seats and Tanya, Michael, and Paul shared one from the back.

"Hey, there, Stevie. What's going on, young man?"

"Not much." The youngster told him. "I just wanted to let you know. Kelly, my tutor, just left, and he told me that my grades were still where they were when I was last in school. Of the 5 assignments he brought, I got 'A's on all five."

Ty gave Horatio a thumbs up.

"Very good, young man." Horatio nodded. "I didn't really think you'd have a problem. Good job, Stevie. I'm very proud of you, son."

"Thanks a lot, H." Stevie replied, but with a hint of something in his voice.

"What's the matter, Stevie? I would have thought you'd be on cloud nine with those grades." Horatio asked.

"I am, H." Stevie admitted. "It's just that he was telling me about this assignment that my Art teacher, Mr Saunders, had assigned. Kelly was saying that Mr Saunders had assigned a Creative Writing assignment for us, that we're supposed to write this fictional story that's supposed to feature an adult person that we know, and how they do their jobs. My problem is that I don't know any adults that I could write something like that about."

"What about your Dad, Stevie?" Horatio asked the boy. "Weren't you saying that he had taken you to the lab several times and that you had gotten to see what they did at the lab?"

"Well, yeah, I did, H, but I'd rather do it on someone who's here now. My Dad's not here to ask questions if I get stuck." Suddenly an idea struck. "Hey, H. When you have the chance, could you come up here, for a few minutes? I just got an idea." The little voice was edged with excitement.

_I'm not sure I like the sound of this_. Horatio thought to himself. "Stevie? What are you thinking little man?"

"Don't worry, H. That bolt of lightning you just heard was an idea that just came to me. I promise not to fold, spindle, or mutilate you and the team too badly. Besides, I wouldn't do that to you guys. I promise only to borrow you for a short bit, then I'll give you back. Alive, and in one piece, I promise."

Horatio chuckled. "Ok, partner. Aunt Calleigh and I will be by a little bit later to come see you."

"Ok." Stevie looked up. "Hey, there's the gang. I'll talk to you later, H. Be careful."

"Talk to you later, Stevie. Be good, young man."

"Only if you insist. Bye."

"Bye." Horatio heard the boy hang up.

The Design Team laughed.

"You have got your hands full with that one, Horatio. Good luck." Ty commented.

"What was your first clue?" Horatio asked. "Imagine what he's going to be like when he's back up to feeling like his old self again."

"This is true." Michael agreed.

"I've been meaning to tell you, Horatio." Ty began. "I have this friend, who also lives his life from a wheelchair. I think it would be a good idea to introduce him to Stevie, just to show the little guy that this can be lived with."

"I'm not sure if that's a problem at this stage of the game, or not, Ty, but any positive examples that we can give him would be greatly appreciated."

"That's the idea." Ty agreed. "Let me see what I can do, and I'll let you know."

"Yes, please, Ty." Horatio agreed. "Just out of curiosity, who is this friend?"

Ty chuckled. "It's Dominic Rochelli, and he's a point guard for the Miami Heat Wheels."

"Ok." Horatio thought about it for a minute. "Let me know if you can swing it."

"Sure thing." Ty told him.

The rest of the drive was made in silence. Horatio got them back to Hollywood very quickly after that. They arrived back at the redesign house. As everyone climbed out of the Hummer, Ty again told Horatio."I'll get back to you on introducing my friend to Stevie as soon as I know anything."

"Thanks a lot Ty. Any additional help with this would be greatly appreciated."

"No problem. Talk to you later."

Horatio rolled the window back up, and made his way back to the freeway. Part of the way back from Hollywood, Horatio noticed a small Toyota 4x4 on the side of the freeway, parked on the side of the road with it's hood up, and a young woman standing there glaring at the vehicle, with her hands on her hips. He slowed the Hummer down, and pulled in behind the Toyota. He picked up the radio, and pressed the button. "Dispatch, this is CSI, Lt Caine. I need DMV owner of record on a red Toyota 4x4, license RSD 369."

"Stand by, please, Lt." The female voice responded. After another minute, she came back with. "Ok, Lt, DMV owner of record is one Diana Weller."

"10-4, Dispatch. Please be advised I am offering her assistance on Biscayne Blvd, just north of the intersection of Biscayne and NE 213 St, just south of where Biscayne turns into South Federal Hwy, at the county line."

"10-4, Lt."

Horatio opened the driver's door, just as his cell phone rang. He looked at his watch, and smiled. 4:30 on the button. He lifted the cover of his phone with his thumb and put the devise to his ear.

"Hey, there, Beautiful. What's going on?" He asked her as he walked around to the front of the young woman's Toyota.

"Not much. Where are you?"

"I'm rendering assistance to a stranded motorist on Biscayne Blvd, just north of NE213th St, just south of where it turns into South Federal Hwy at the county line. Could you do me a favor? If I don't call you back, in let's say 20 minutes, could you call me? If I don't answer, please come check on me. Perhaps I'm just being paranoid, but I don't think so."

"To use your line on you, you're not being paranoid. Not with your senses. Do you want me to wait on the line?"

"Hold on a minute." He told her as he approached the young woman. "Hi. I'm Lt Horatio Caine with the Miami Dade Crime Lab. What seems to be the problem?" He offered her his hand.

"I'm Diana Weller, Lt. It's my pleasure to meet you." She shook it, then turned to her car. "As far as what's the problem, unfortunately, I have no clue. I don't know anything about cars. I had pulled over to check my directions, and I put it in park. When I took it out of park, it started making this strange noise, then it just stopped. When I tried to start it again, it wouldn't even turn over."

"Ok, let me see what I can do with it." Horatio told her. He turned back to his phone. "I think I have everything handled here, Calleigh. I'll see you when I get back, ok?"

"I don't like the sound of this. Please be careful, Horatio." Calleigh told him. "I love you."

"Me, neither. Love you too." Horatio put his phone back in his inner coat pocket, then turned to the young woman's vehicle. "Ok, let's see what's going on." He remarked, mostly to himself. He looked closely at the various parts of the engine, then something caught his eye. It was a section of wiring that had been disconnected from where it was supposed to be.

Horatio looked over at the light brown haired young woman as his eyebrow climbed into his hair. The steel plated wall fell behind his eyes, and his voice dropped into the 'Danger Zone'. "What's going on? Who are you really?" He asked.

Before she had the chance to answer him, though, four male subjects, all dressed in black with black masks on came out of their hiding places, and all moved to grab the red head. Two of the men pinned Horatio's arms behind his back, and the other two men stood in front of him. One of the other men carried a baseball bat, and the other was obviously the leader.

"Gentlemen, I will tell you the same thing I told her. I am a police officer with the Miami Dade Crime Lab. My name is Lt Horatio Caine. If you know what's good for you, you will release me and let me be on my way."

The men and Miss Weller laughed. "We know what's good for us, Caine, and, soon, you will too. We've been sent to deliver a message to you - drop your protection of Stevie Douglas. He's not worth the hassle, or the trouble he's going to create for you."

Horatio wasn't the least bit surprised at the ultimatum, and actually chuckled at what they had said. "I thought this was why we were having this discussion." He looked up and over at the leader. "You can go back to your boss, and tell him for me, that when I find out who he is, there's not going to be any place on this planet that he'll be able to hide in. I've stood up to bigger bullies than you four, for less of a reason than this. Stevie is just a little boy who's only crime appears to be the fact that he is his father's son. When I find out what the real reason is, I'll make it my mission to get your boss, whoever he is." Horatio looked pointedly over at the brunette young woman. "You're related to Stan Miller, aren't you? Is he your father, your uncle, or maybe an older brother or older cousin? Who is he?"

The leader, glad for their masks, poked the man with the bat. "Don't put him in the hospital, but make sure he remembers this."

The man walked up to Horatio, as he tapped the rounded head of the bat into his palm. "I'm sorry to have to do this, Lt. If you'd just agree to drop Stevie Douglas, we'd let you go."

"No chance." The red head told him, steeling himself for the beating he knew was coming. "Just do it."

"Ok. You'd asked for it." The man swung the bat, and hit Horatio high in the chest, knocking all the wind out of him. The man continued to swing at Horatio hitting him several other times in the chest and abdomen.

Horatio attempted to continue to stand on his own two feet, but knew he wasn't going to make it. As he felt his strength start to leave him, he still had the presence of mind to try to get skin samples from as many of them as he could, so he scratched one man, then the other.

Both men exclaimed out loud when they realized that the red head had scratched them. "Get him, he scratched us!!" The one on Horatio's left side told the man with the bat.

He walked around Horatio and began hitting the red head in the back with the bat until Horatio lost consciousness.

All four of the men realized that Horatio was unconscious, as he fell to the ground, and the two men that had held on to him, kicked him in the ribs, just for good measure, mad that he had scratched them, then whooping and hollering, they climbed into the young woman's 4x4, and sped away.


	62. Chapter 62

Chapter 62

From way off in the distance away, Horatio heard a female voice calling him.

"Horatio? Come on. Please, wake up, Handsome." Calleigh called to him. "Please open those beautiful, bottomless, baby blues of yours, for me, please?"

As he swum closer to the surface, he slowly became aware of a pair of hands roaming over his torso, that stopped near his waist. He knew the hands belonged to Alexx, as he remembered the more than once that she has had to treat him over the years. The only Doctor that he trusted with the secret, and the only one who was willing to over look the story for the sake of friendship.

"Calleigh, he's going to be fine, Honey. I don't feel any broken bones, but I am feeling some fairly serious bruising. I hope that he'll allow me to x-ray him when we get back to the lab."

"Alexx, I'm fine. There's no need to x-ray me."

Both women looked down at him, then traded a smile, as Alexx told him.

"Horatio, honey, I really would feel better if you would allow me to x-ray you."

That caused him to look up at her in confusion. "Why? You just got through saying that nothing was broken."

The African American woman motioned for the two younger men to approach the red head laying on the ground. "No, what I said was that it didn't feel like anything was broken. That's why I want to x-ray you, though, just to be sure." She looked up at both Ryan and Eric. "Help him up, babies."

Ryan and Eric looked at each other, then looked down at Horatio.

"Ok, H. Come on, let's try to get you up." Eric told him.

"Be careful, Gentlemen. You may want to brace yourselves." Horatio cautioned them.

As both of the younger men grasped the red head's forearms, Ryan added. "We've got it, H. When you're ready….."

"Ok." Horatio replied. "On three. One…..Two…..Three, now."

Eric and Ryan pulled him up as Horatio also pulled himself up. The two younger men watched Horatio for a moment, and just when they thought he would, in fact be ok, Horatio's legs started to buckle.

Ryan called out. "No, H!!" Then tightened his grip on the red head's arm. Eric did as well, and told the older man. "You're ok, H. We've got you."

Horatio quirked a grin. "I appreciate that, Gentlemen." He looked over at his blonde ballistics expert. "Do me a favor, please Calleigh, and try to tape lift me. They were all wearing masks and gloves, every one, that is, except the girl, and she did touch me."

"What girl, H?" Eric asked.

Horatio sighed, and looked down at the ground, embarrassed. "There was a young woman parked on the side of the road. It appeared that she was having technical issues with her car. I stopped and offered her assistance. When I looked at her engine, though, I saw that one end of one of the wires was loose from where it was supposed to be. When I started to ask her about the wire, her 4 male friends jumped me. After they 'interviewed' me about Stevie and 'suggested' that I forget that I know him, they worked me over until I lost consciousness. About how long was I out, anyway?" He asked.

"Approx half an hour." Calleigh told him as she pulled a lifter off the back of his suit coat. "Well, I think one of them touched you." She chuckled. "I just found a dark brown hair on the back of your jacket."

"The girl had light brown hair, so maybe that hair is from one of the guys." Horatio suggested.

"We can but hope." Ryan agreed.

"I also meant to tell you, when they started working me over, I did scratch at least one person, maybe two, and, so, I may have some epithelials under my nails." Horatio added.

"I'll get it." Alexx told them. She pulled a pair of gloves out of her kit and put them on, then retrieved a scraper out of her kit, and walked up to their red headed leader. She winked at him. "Ok, mister. You know the drill. Put 'em up."

Horatio chuckled, softly. "Yes, ma'am."

Eric and Ryan released Horatio's arms, but continued to watch him to make sure he didn't go into shock or anything.

"By the way, I would really prefer that Stevie not know anything about this." Horatio put the comment out there for all of them. "This comes under the heading of being 'just part of the job', but I know that he would feel guilty, and he's got nothing to feel guilty over, so please don't say anything to him, unless he says something first, ok, gang?"

Ryan nodded. "No problem, H."

"We understand, H." Eric added.

Alexx nodded as she collected the scrapings and secured them into two separate envelopes. "Ok, boys. Do me a favor and help him into the Hummer's passenger seat. Calleigh will drive him back to the lab."

The two younger men turned Horatio around and started to move to the Hummer, when Horatio stopped and turned back to Alexx.

"Wait a minute!! She drive me? I don't think so, Alexx. I told you, I…am…..fine. She doesn't have to baby sit me, and I don't need a chauffer."

"Horatio, honey, please, just humor me. She's not a babysitter, nor is she a chauffer. You have been worked over, and contrary to what you are claiming, you are not fine. I just won't know how badly, until I get you back to the lab. I promise not to take too long, if you will please cooperate for just a few minutes longer. Please?" She knew he couldn't get past that look.

Horatio sighed. "I'm sorry, Mom. Ok, but only for a little bit longer."He willingly allowed the two younger men to help him into the passenger seat of the Hummer. As the others finished their work there at the scene, Horatio hoped to himself that the bruising didn't show what he had been hit with, otherwise, he knew, that Alexx would want to put him in the hospital, for at least overnight, even if it was just for observation. He knew that he wouldn't be able to protect Stevie if he was in the hospital himself.

A soft female voice came from off to his left. "Hey there, Handsome. You still with us?" As she started the engine of the massive machine and put it into drive.

He cracked a grin. "I'm still here, Calleigh. I was just thinking." He opened his eyes, and turned to look at her. "I'm sorry, but I think our date has been put on hold."

Calleigh shook her head, as she continued to maneuver the vehicle through traffic. "Not put on hold, Handsome, just changed a bit." She studied him for a minute when they sat at a red light. "I would offer you a massage, or at least a backrub, but I'd be too afraid of causing you more pain." She told him. Once the light turned green, she moved the car forward.

"I appreciate the thought, sweetheart." He allowed her to drive in silence for a moment, then asked her tentatively, as he turned to her. "So, you think my eyes are bottomless, huh?" Then he chuckled at the red tinge that came to her cheeks.

"You heard that part, huh?"

He nodded.

She looked over briefly at him. "Yes, I do, actually. They also are quite magnetic, they so easily pull people in. You've often said that you thought the eyes were the windows to most peoples souls, and they are for most people, you included. When you're angry or upset, or even happy, yours change color to reflect the mood you're in, like when you're dealing with a suspect. I normally can tell, the guys say that they can too, how close you are to the 'Danger Zone', just by the color of your eyes. Your facial expression is also an indicator, too, but your eyes, alone, are the biggest clue."

Horatio chuckled again. "My Mom used to say the same thing, not the part about the Danger Zone, exactly, but she used to say that they reflected my mood at the time. She also used to say, when I got older, that she could tell how much pain I was in from one of my father's beatings, just by looking at my eyes." He got lost in a memory for just a moment, and laughed. "She used to tease me about them too. She used to call them my most dangerous feature. She called them magnets too. She said once that they had trapped her too, especially when I was a baby, but more so, as I got older."

Calleigh laughed too. "I can only imagine. Were the girls following you home from school a lot?"

"Once in awhile they did, but they did it more often once I hit my teens. She used to say that she should have known that she would have problems with me in that area, because, apparently, when I was born, the nurses used to fight over who would get to bath me and feed me, etc. She said that several of the nurses used to use the word 'exotic' to describe me, and the more she thought about it, that she knew they were right. I made the mistake one time, of telling her that I was sorry that I had been born this way, and that if I could I would change it, so that I wouldn't stand out so easily. That was the one and only time, I ever thought my mother would raise her hand to me."

Horatio grew silent for a few moments, and Calleigh though for a moment that he wouldn't continue. When he did, though, Horatio's voice faltered a little. "She told me that she wouldn't change anything about me, that she didn't want a 'normal' little boy, and that it was my differences that made me 'special', as she put it." He made quotation marks in the air. "She also said that she had decided to name me after Horatio Alger long before I had actually been born, so that part of it had not been planned, but, she said that my being quite so exotic actually made me her one in a million little boy. She said that she knew I would be the kind of man that she would be proud of, and that I would learn by my father's example of what not to do, but that it was my red hair, along with my blue eyes, that made me her one in a million little boy, and that she wouldn't trade me in for anything. All of these years later, I now know exactly how unusual both of those traits makes me. Both are so recessive that the chances of having both are so infinitesimally small, that it pretty well does make me a one in a million. One or the other is fairly unusual, yes, but both, at the same time is extremely rare."

Calleigh had stopped the Hummer at the lab, and had walked around to the passenger's door. She opened it. As she helped him maneuver his way out of the large vehicle, she told him. "You're right, Handsome, the combination really does make you a fairly unusual specimen, but it really is your personality that endears you to most people." She helped him to stand, and as she closed the passenger door, she added."There are times when you can be almost introvertedly shy, but you also seem to know when you have to be assertive, and you are that person, without it being a case of being reminded of your father. When you're in just a normal everyday type of situation, you can state your case, like when you're in a discussion with someone, and when you know that you're right, you're like a bulldog with a toy, you're not going to give it up, not for nobody."

Calleigh helped Horatio go into the morgue. They were in the elevator headed to the basement where the morgue was.

Horatio picked up the thread of their earlier conversation. "What has always been so hard has been my sensitivity to the sun, especially since I love to spend time in it."

"That, and the fact that you work in it all day." Calleigh added.

"Exactly." Horatio agreed.

The elevator stopped and the door opened. Eric and Ryan stepped in.

"Hey, H. How're you doing?" Ryan asked.

"Fine, Mr Wolfe." Horatio replied. "Just fine."

The door closed as Eric walked over and stood in front of their red headed leader. When Eric smirked, Horatio's eyebrow climbed into his hair.

"What seems to be so funny, Eric?" Horatio asked.

"You." Eric replied, the twinkle that was in his eyes couldn't be missed. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think someone had painted on some more freckles on you, either that, or you've been out in the sun too long."

Horatio looked down at the floor, embarrassed, just as the elevator stopped and the door opened.

Although Eric's back was to the door, he heard it open and began backpedaling out of the elevator, in an effort to get away.

Horatio followed him out of the elevator. Both Calleigh and Ryan had seen the gleam in the red head's eyes.

Horatio stalked forward, as he shook his finger at the younger man.

Eric continued to backpedal as he asked. "H?! I'm sorry!! I was just teasing!!"

Horatio wagged his finger at the younger man as he continued to advance. "I'll show you freckles, Mister." He pulled out a pen and uncapped it.

Just as Eric called out, "Alexx!! Calleigh!! Help!!", Calleigh laughed.

The doors of the morgue swung open and the African American woman looked out into the hall, first down to one end, then the other. When she saw Horatio advance on Eric, Alexx called out. "Horatio Caine!! Cut that out!! Get yourself in here, young man!"

The red head stopped in his tracks and looked over his shoulder at her. "But, Alexx!!" He whined. "They were teasing me about my freckles."

She put her hands on her hips in a very good imitation of him, then crooked her finger at him in a 'come here' gesture. She fought not to laugh out loud as the red head walked toward her with his head hung low. When he stopped in front of her, she asked. "Would you like me to tell them exactly where all you have them?" An eyebrow climbed into her hair.

Horatio's eyes went wide. "You wouldn't."

Alexx smirked. "You wanna bet?"

Horatio shook his head. "No. I know you would. That's what I'm afraid of." He turned to look at Calleigh, Eric, and Ryan. "Calleigh, cold you do me a favor and stand guard at the door?"

She knew why he would ask her that, so she nodded. "No problem, Handsome. I can stand guard for you."

The red head grinned. "Thank you." He then turned to Ryan and Eric. "As for the two of you…." He cracked that boyish grin. "Any more cracks, wise or any other kind, about my freckles, or lack there of, and you'll be doing the dumpster diving for the next three months."

"We were just teasing, H." Ryan told the older man, nervously.

"I know that Mr. Wolfe." Horatio replied. "If Eric couldn't tell, then there's something wrong, because at least Calleigh laughed."

"I knew you were, H, don't worry." Eric smiled and winked at the red head. "I just know now not to tease you unless Mom is nearby to rescue me."

The laughed at Eric's joke.

Eric patted Ryan on the shoulder. "Come on, Wolfe-man. Let's let the boss get poked and prodded in peace and quiet."

The two younger men walked into the elevator as Alexx steered Horatio into the Autopsy Theatre.

After what seemed like forever to Calleigh, but was in reality only a relatively short period of time, Horatio and Alexx finally reemerged from the morgue.

"Well," Calleigh hurried over to them. "How's he doing, Alexx?"

"No broken bones, Beautiful, just muscle sore. Just like I thought." Horatio explained. "Alexx has given me a couple of day's worth of pain killers, just in case."

"So, he's going to be ok, then?" Calleigh asked for clarification.

"I'm going to be fine, Sweetheart, don't worry." Horatio told her.

"Horatio, there is no one else except your 'self made family' as you described us to Stevie, who will worry about you and for you." Alexx reminded the red head.

"I know that, Alexx." Horatio said to her. "I also know that I don't say it nearly often enough, but you guys are the only thing I have that could even remotely be called a family."

"Your family has been expanded by two, Handsome." Calleigh reminded him. "Jessica and I both very greatly appreciate the interest you've shown in Stevie, and I know that the time you spend with him, is the highlight of his day, even when he had been in so much pain."

Horatio cracked that boyish grin, as he glanced down at the floor. "Stevie is a very special young man, Calleigh. It's incredibly easy to spend time with him. He's a great kid. For a situation that is so completely out of his control, he's actually been fairly patient with his recovery."

Calleigh laughed. "This is true. We've been blessed in that, yes, he's been good about letting himself heal from this. I'll forewarn you now, though, he's going to want to do whatever it takes for you and the boys, and Frank to be proud of him, but your opinion will be the most important to him. So, when Dr Fitzgerald does finally release him to go back into the pool and the gym, you're really going to have your hands full just with trying to keep him from injuring himself, by trying to make up for lost time."

"Calleigh, would it help, if I were to play Team's Physician?" Alexx asked.

"I don't understand Alexx." Calleigh looked confused for a moment.

"You've just said that Horatio's opinion will be first and foremost in the little guy'smind, and Horatio has made it known that he doesn't completely trust Dr Fitzgerald. Stevie has already allowed me to look at his chart, just on Horatio's asking him, so maybe he will except my playing 'Doctor' over him, and he'll actually listen to me."

Now Calleigh knew where Alexx was going with all this. "You know, you may have a point, there, Alexx. He'd probably be more inclined to listen to you, than he would Doctor Fitzgerald, at least on some things, but, of course, Horatio will be the only one who will get him to stop before he's really ready."

"Does that mean you'll be with us when we do our second treatment in the morning, Alexx?" Horatio asked.

"As if I'd be anywhere else?" Alexx asked her own question. "Stevie needs people around him that he knows he can trust, and that's us."

"You're right about that, Alexx." Horatio agreed, then turned to Calleigh. "Speaking of which, Calleigh, let's go check on the boys, then Stevie asked to see us, earlier. His friends should have gone home by now, and I want to get him a treat. Did he tell you, apparently Kelly brought 5 different assignments today, and Stevie got all A's?"

Calleigh smiled, and nodded. "Yes, he called me, apparently after he talked to you. He said that he had asked for both of us to come up to his room, that he had something he wanted to ask us?"

Horatio nodded. "He did. Something about a fictional story that he has to write for his creative writing assignment. Let's go check on the big boys, then we can check on the little boy."

"That sounds like a plan. Let's go Handsome." Calleigh agreed, as she put her arm around the red head's waist.

They moved to walk toward the elevator, and Horatio told Alexx, over his shoulder. "Thanks for the help, Alexx, we'll see you in Stevie's room in the morning."

"Yes, you will, Honey. See you tomorrow." Alexx called out, as the elevator door closed behind the couple.


	63. Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The elevator let them off on their floor and Horatio and Calleigh made their way to find the boys, Ryan and Eric, and found the two younger men in the layout Room. Ryan and Eric had their backs to the door.

"Hey, Eric. Did we get any results on that stuff we got off of H?"

Eric nodded. "He was right, again, as usual. We got two separate individuals from the epithelials when he scratched two of the perps. We got a third person from the hair that Calleigh found, then, of course, there's the Dispatch tape from when H stopped to help the girl, in the first place."

"I sure do hope he's going to be ok." Ryan said out loud.

"Well, if Alexx said that she didn't feel anything broken, then there probably wasn't anything to find, but I'll bet he's going to be a sore puppy, if he isn't already."

"Ok. Shouldn't we tell his family?"

"I don't think he has any, Wolfe-man, I mean, have you ever heard him talk about them?"

Ryan shook his head.

"Me neither. That may be how Alexx is able to get away with what she can."

Ryan turned and looked at Eric, confused, for a moment. "I don't follow you."

"Think about it for a minute, Ryan. Have you ever noticed exactly how much time he spends here? How it seems like he never goes home? He's always going to bat for us, at least once in the time we've known him. And that business down at the morgue? Have you ever seen him do that when we've had witnesses around?"

When Ryan shook his head again, Eric continued.

"That's just it, Ryan, he doesn't. I don't think I've ever heard him talking about growing up in the Caine house, but I don't think it was very much fun. I think that between Stetler, his memories of growing up in a difficult household, as well as some of his other enemies, that he may be afraid of letting other people see what he thinks about us, because he doesn't want what happened to Ray and Al to happen to us."

Ryan folded his arms over his chest. "I don't' know about Ray or Al, but he was talking to Stevie the other day, and he did admit that we - he called us his surrogate family - were helping him to forget how much he missed his real family…."

"What have you got for me, gentlemen?" Horatio asked.

The two young men jumped at the red head's voice.

"H!!" Both Ryan and Eric exclaimed, as they turned at the sound of the voice.

"How are you feeling?" Ryan asked first.

"What did Alexx say, H?" Eric also asked.

Horatio cracked that boyish grin as he felt Calleigh's hand as it moved down his back.

"Alexx said that there was nothing broken, but that, yes, he would be muscle sore for a few days, but that ultimately he'd be ok." Calleigh told them.

Ryan sighed in relief. "That's great news, H."

Eric nodded as well. "Yeah, it is. Glad to hear it, H."

Horatio looked down for just a minute. "Thank you, gentlemen." He looked up and tilted his head at the two younger men. "What do you have for me?"

Ryan looked down at the paper work on the table. He pointed to two of them. "These two are the two that you scratched……."

Eric picked it up. "…..and this person is the one that the hair belonged to."

Horatio put his hand on the fourth paper. "This is the girl." It wasn't a question.

"That's her, H."

"Ok." Horatio looked thoughtful for just a moment. "Mister Wolfe, were you going to come with us to the Hospital in the morning?"

At first Ryan looked surprised that Horatio had asked, then confused as to why the red head would even want him there. "Am I supposed to be there, H?"

Horatio gave Ryan a puzzled look. "What makes you think you're not, Mr Wolfe? The last time I checked, you are part of this team, this family. Stevie has accepted you. He wouldn't have joked with you the way he did, if that were not the case."

"Oh, ok." Ryan replied, surprised. "I think that means I'm going to be there."

"Yes, it does." Horatio told the younger man. "The only thing that's supposed to happen is that Stevie is going to be submerged into a saline solution cleansing bath."

"So we're going to need to be there to keep the terror at bay." Ryan asked.

"Exactly." Horatio agreed. "Dr Fitzgerald says that he doesn't think he'll have to cut into Stevie again, just in case, though, I'd prefer to have as big a distraction there as possible."

"Don't worry, H. We've got it covered." Eric reassured the red head.

"Of that, Gentlemen, I have no doubt." Horatio replied. "When you come back from that, Mr Wolfe, please do me a favor, and have Frank pick all of them up. I'm going to want to have a talk with them about why it was so important to talk me out of protecting Stevie." Horatio stared off into space for just a minute, thinking about all of the possibilities. He blinked back to the here and now, quickly, as he added. "Speaking of which, Calleigh and I are on our way out of here, if you need either of us, ….."

"We've got it, H." Ryan added.

"See y'all tomorrow." Calleigh added as Horatio held the door open for her and she stepped through, then he followed her out.


	64. Chapter 64

Chapter 64

As they made their way out to the Hummer, Horatio asked."I was going to stop and get the little guy a milkshake. Would you like one also?"

"Sure. I'll take one, please?"

"Do you think Jessica would like one too?"

Calleigh nodded. "Make hers and mine chocolate, please?"

"Yes, ma'am." He pulled into a drive thru and purchased them. As he passed the carrier to Calleigh, he added."Ok, let's go see what the little guy is doing."

They drove over to the hospital, and rode the elevator up to Stevie's floor. They walked in to Stevie's room, just as Stevie asked.

"Which way would work better, Mom? Bring Captain Picard and the crew to us, on the Holodeck, or send H and the team to the 24th Century?"

Horatio looked at Calleigh and saw that her confusion mirrored his.

"Hey, there, Stevie. What's going on? What was that about bringing us into the 24th Century?" Horatio asked as he put the drink carrier on the rolling bedside table.

Stevie looked up. "Oh, hey, H, Aunt Calleigh. When I talked to you earlier, H, a story idea came to me."

Horatio looked confused for a moment. "Ok. What kind of idea?"

"Well, I was thinking, either to have you and the team on the Holodeck of the Enterprise, or transport you and the team to the Enterprise, in the 24th Century. Which would you prefer?"

Horatio and Calleigh looked at each other for a moment, then turned back to the youngster.

"I think I'm going to say writer's choice. Either way sounds interesting to me." Horatio looked over at Calleigh. "What do you think, Cal?"

Calleigh grinned. "Writer's choice. Which ever you decide to do, it'll be an interesting story, that's for sure."

Horatio picked the drink carrier back up. "Here you go, Stevie. You were saying the other day, that you could go for a strawberry milkshake. I had a hankering for one too, so I thought I'd bring you one."

"Oh, cool!!!! Thanks a lot, H. Yes, I so could go for one."

Horatio cracked that grin. "You're more than welcome, Stevie." He passed a chocolate one to Jessica. "Calleigh thought you'd enjoy a chocolate one, Jessica."

"Yes, I would. Thank you." Jessica took the cup as Stevie took a long draw from his, then gasped.

"Stevie?" Horatio asked.

"I'm ok, H. I just forgot….." Stevie told the man.

"About?" Horatio prompted, after a minute.

"About the brain freeze." Stevie admitted, as he and the adults took a minute of enjoying the coolness of their drinks, Horatio set his on the bedside table, then turned to the youngster. "How did you originally get interested in Star Trek, Stevie?"

The youngster grinned. "Dad and I used to like to watch it together. He originally got me hooked with Kirk, Spock and McCoy. I loved Dr McCoy when he used to say 'I'm a Dr, not a….' whatever. Now, though, I'm hooked on the Next Generation."

Horatio chuckled too. "I did too. He used to do that with Capt Kirk. It was also funny when he would argue with Mr Spock and he'd call Spock a walking computer."

"Oh, yeah. That part was funny too." Stevie agreed, with a chuckle.

"What is it about the Next Generation that you like, Stevie?" Calleigh asked, as she took a drink from her own milkshake.

"I'm not sure, Aunt Calleigh." The boy admitted. "A little bit of everything. Data, Geordi, Wesley, Worf, the stories, the tech, like I said, a little bit of every thing."

"It sounds like it, Stevie." Horatio agreed, as he then took another drag off his milkshake. He set the cup back down, then looked over at Calleigh, for just a moment, then turned to the youngster. "What was it that you needed to talk to us about?"

The youngster took a drink from his milkshake as well. He set the cup down, then motioned between them.

"I wanted to talk about the two of you." Stevie looked pointedly at Horatio. "She was the one you wanted to test the 'magic' with, isn't it, H?"

Horatio heard the change in the boy's tone of voice and looked nervously down at the floor. He felt Calleigh's hand, as it moved up and down his back in a comforting gesture. When he looked up and over at her, Calleigh offered him a tentative smile and took another drink from his milkshake, then set the cup down again, as he turned back to Stevie and asked. "What do you think about that partner?"

Stevie thought about it for a minute, then picked up his own milkshake. He took another drink from it, then set the cup back down. When he turned back to the adults, he had a grin on his little face. "I think it'd be pretty cool, H. I've overheard Aunt Calleigh talking with Mom about you, several times, and she's really been interested in you for a very long time, but, just so you know, if you hurt her or upset her, I'm the one you're going to have to answer to." Stevie paused to take another drink from his milkshake. "I'm not going to stay little forever, and I have a couple of friends who'd help me hide the body." Stevie's little face took on a serious expression.

"Yes, sir." Horatio knew that, even for all his bravado, that Stevie was, in fact, only a 12 year old little boy, but that he would need to make this promise as seriously as he possibly could. He crossed his heart, then held the hand up, as if he were being sworn in to take the witness stand. "I promise to do my best not to hurt her, or upset her, at least not the way that you mean."

"Good." The boy turned to look at Calleigh, and wagged his finger at her. "That does not mean that you can walk all over him, though, Aunt Calleigh. I don't know what was so complicated that he had to tell you, but he was really worried about something he needed to tell you. That means trampling over his feelings is not allowed either. Understand?"

"Yes, sir." Knowing what that thing was that Horatio wanted to tell her, Calleigh followed Horatio's lead, and crossed her heart too, and held her hand up. "Cross my heart." She told her nephew, as seriously as she possibly could.

"Good." Stevie remarked. "Now, you….." Stevie pointed at Horatio. "Come here." He gave the red head the signal.

When Horatio looked confused, Stevie explained. "I need a hug."

Horatio cracked that shy grin, and nodded, as he moved toward the youngster.

The instant the red head stepped in to the youngster's personal space, Stevie wrapped his arms around Horatio's torso.

"I would say welcome into our eclectic little family, H, but I have this sneaky little suspicion that it's actually just the opposite, us in to yours."

Horatio chuckled. "Maybe it could be a combination of both."

Stevie also chuckled. "This is true." As he hugged the red head to him, Stevie looked up, puzzled, then lightly ran his little hands up and down Horatio's torso. "Wait a minute, H. What happened? Why do I feel bruises?"

Horatio grabbed at the youngster's hands, gently, to stop their roaming, as he looked down at the floor shyly, then back up at Calleigh, who nodded."Stevie, I'm fine. Nothing happened, son." Horatio told the youngster.

"Uh, huh. Then why do I feel bruises, if 'nothing' happened?" The boy asked rhetorically. He held one hand out, then with his other hand, reached for his milkshake. "Can I please borrow your cell phone?"

Horatio pulled the devise from his inner coat pocket. "Ok. Do I ask why?"

Stevie nodded. "I'm going to call Dr Alexx. She'll tell me what happened."

"Stevie, wait." Horatio put his cell phone back into his inner coat pocket, then turned and reached for the handset of the hospital phone on the bedside table. "The cell's going to interfere with the equipment. I'll call Dr Alexx for you on the landline."

Horatio picked up the handset of the phone on the bedside table and dialed a number, then passed the handset to Stevie, as he picked up his own milkshake and took a drink.

Stevie took the landline handset, and put it to his ear.

The phone rang one more time, then a female voice answered.

"Medical Examiner's Office. Dr Alexx Woods. How may I help you?"

"Dr Alexx, this is Stevie Douglas." He told her.

"Hello there, Baby Boy. What can I do for you?"

"What happened to H today, Dr Alexx? I went to give him a hug and all I feel are bruises. What happened that he's not telling me anything about?"

Alexx sighed. "Well, Stevie, there was an incident earlier."

"What kind of incident, Dr Alexx?" The youngster asked again.

"Well, you see…. He was driving home from running an errand and he stopped to help this young woman. It looked like she was having car trouble. When he noticed that there was a wire out of place, he started to ask why, and four of the girl's friends jumped him and beat him up. No, they didn't break anything, but he's going to be sore for a few days."

Stevie's thought ahead. "Dr Alexx, would it be safe for him to lift something semi heavy, like me, for instance?"

"You're not that heavy, Stevie. It's ok, son." Horatio told the youngster.

Alexx heard Horatio's comment, and told Stevie. "I don't think you're that heavy, Stevie. However, if he were to go home and take a pain pill and go to bed, I think he'd be feeling pretty close to normal in the morning."

"Ok. You're sure, Dr Alexx?"

She smiled. "I'm positive, Baby Boy. Unfortunately, Horatio does occasionally get injured on the job, and it's necessary to remind him that he's not Superman."

Stevie laughed. "I get it, Dr Alexx. I'll be sure to tell him what you said. I know that you've got your own family, but will we see you tomorrow?"

"Yes, you'll see me tomorrow, Stevie. Try not to worry. He'll be fine."

The little boy chuckled. "I'll try, Dr Alexx. Good night."

"Good night, Baby Boy. Can I talk to him for just a minute?" She asked.

"Sure. See you in the morning. Here he is." Stevie passed the phone to Horatio. "She asked to talk to you."

"Thank you, Partner." Horatio put the phone to his ear. "Yes, Alexx?"

"I wanted you to know that I told him the truth about what happened. I just didn't tell him why you were worked over."

"Thanks for telling me, Alexx, because, yes, I was wondering." Horatio admitted.

"I thought so. Have a good night and we'll see you in the morning." She told him.

"Yes, you will." He replied, then added. "Thanks a lot, Alexx."

"You're welcome, Honey. Bye." She hung up.

Horatio put the handset back in it's cradle

After a minute, Stevie asked. "How are you feeling, really, H?"

Horatio quirked that shy grin. "I'm really ok, Stevie. I promise, son."

"Uh, huh." Stevie replied, unconvinced. "In reality, I'll bet you're sore enough that moving around is not really a good idea." The youngster looked over at his aunt, then back up at the red head. "You know, H. Mom and Aunt Calleigh both have magic hands. I think, given enough incentive, you could probably talk Aunt Calleigh into giving you a backrub."

Horatio chuckled as Calleigh blushed. "So, Aunt Calleigh has magic hands, huh?"

The youngster nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, yeah. Although I don't remember when I was a baby, when I was little, it was a way of spending time together. Sometimes, too, if I was having problems going to sleep or something like that, it was the one sure fire way to put me to sleep."

Calleigh chuckled. "Stevie, you have always loved to be touched, even when you were a baby. Especially with your Daddy, you could be doing something completely normal, even just taking a nap, or watching TV, as long as Daddy was touching you, you were a happy camper."

Stevie also chuckled. "That's because Dad was comfy. Actually you all are, Aunt Calleigh, but as I've gotten older, I also love to listen to your heart beats. It's soothing. May be it is weird, but yes, I love to be held and to hold you, to give you a hug, or to be hugged by you."

"You're not weird, Stevie, just unusual." Horatio told him hesitantly. "Where you love to be touched, or held, I'm still not completely comfortable being touched, or held, mostly because…..well, when I was a youngster, ……..being touched was not…….well, it wasn't a very pleasant experience, I'll put it that way."

"I'm sorry, H." Stevie replied, thoughtfully.

"Don't be, Stevie. It happened a very long time ago." Horatio admitted.

"Yeah, I know, H, but still…..it's not good that it happened at all." The youngster pointed out. "We're going to change that. By the time we're done with you, you're definitely going to look on it as a completely different experience." Stevie vowed. "Trust me on this."

"I do, Stevie." Horatio told him.

Stevie picked up his milkshake and took a drink, but the sound that came out of the straw was the indicator that the cup was empty.

"Dog gone it." The youngster lifted the lid to the cup, and found that it was, in fact quite empty. "Thanks a lot, H. It was really good."

"You're welcome, Partner." Horatio took the cup from him.

Andi walked in with a tray. "Here you go, Stevie. Dinner time."

"Good, because I'm hungry." The youngster replied, pulling the tray towards 's himself

Horatio's eyebrow climbed into his hair. "You mean, even after that milkshake?"

Stevie nodded, as he lifted the lid to his dinner tray. "You mean, especially after that milkshake. Yes, H. I'm hungry."

"He's a growing boy, Horatio." Jessica told him. "Even with the paralysis, he's eaten me out of house and home, several times." She turned to her son. "But, I still love you, my boy." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Aww, Mom." Stevie ducked. "I can't help it, if I'm always hungry."

Horatio laughed. "And with that, I think we'll take our leave." He turned to the youngster. "We'll see you in the morning. Ok, Stevie?"

"Yup, we'll see you in the morning." Stevie agreed, as he watched the adults leave, then turned back to his dinner.


	65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

Out at the Hummer, Horatio asked where they wanted to go for dinner.

"Are you sure you feel up to staying out for a bit longer? We really should get you home." Calleigh asked

Horatio chuckled. "I feel fine, Calleigh." He looked at both women. "I know where we can go." He drove them over to Richard's restaurant. As he parked the Hummer, he caught the look from both Calleigh and Jessica.

"How do you know Richard's, Horatio?" Jessica asked.

Horatio chuckled. "I've known Richard a long time." He walked both ladies across the parking lot, and held the door open for them. "I was just a Rookie at the time, and Richard's original restaurant had been burglarized, and arson had been attempted, but not successful. I went 'undercover' and got the Gangster that was trying to strong arm Richard into giving up his restaurant."

They walked through the second set of doors, and, as they stepped up to the Hostess' station, the young woman looked up.

"Lt Caine!! There you are!! Dad had said that I missed you the other night when you came in. It's so good to see you." The young woman walked around the podium she used, and wrapped her arms around him. She pecked him on the cheek, as she told him. "Let me go find Dad. He said he wanted to talk to you, when you came in again."

Horatio fought not to blush, as the young woman ran off to find her father.

Jessica and Calleigh traded amused smiles.

"What? I told you I've known him and his family for a long time." Horatio chuckled.

"It certainly does appear to be the case." Calleigh observed. "I wonder what other secrets you're keeping to yourself."

Horatio leaned into her personal space and whispered into her ear. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"Mrs Douglas?" Richard came around the corner. "What is a fine lady such as yourself doing out on the town with this scalawag?" He stood there with his hands on his hips in a good imitation of Horatio, as he pointed in the general direction of the red head.

Jessica chuckled as she hugged the 'scalawag' in question. "He's not such a bad scalawag, Richard. In fact, Stevie is quite taken with him."

"Oh," Richard dropped one hand, as his other, scratched at his head in thought. "Well, as long as Stevie thinks he's a good scalawag, I think maybe we might aught to keep him around."

Jessica pretended to scrutinize the red head. "Well, maybe just another minute or two."

They laughed.

Horatio turned to indicate the blonde beside him. "Richard, this is Calleigh, the young woman I was telling you about."

Richard's eyes went wide as his eyebrows climbed into his hair. "So, you're the lucky, young lady who has lassoed him."

Calleigh grinned shyly and nodded wordlessly.

Richard turned to Horatio. "You didn't tell me this was the young woman you were interested in."

Horatio looked confused for a moment. "I didn't realize you knew them, Richard."

Richard smiled. "Well, not nearly as long as I've known you, but almost. The little one had just come into this world, and was a baby in his Momma's arms." He gestured for them to follow him.

Calleigh chuckled. "Jessica and I had been coming here for lunch together for awhile up to that point. Then, just before Stevie was born, his Dad met us here for lunch one afternoon. The rest, as they say, is history."

Horatio and Richard both sat the women first, then Horatio pulled a chair for himself. As he moved the chair under the table, though, Calleigh caught a twinge that flittered across his face.

"You, ok, Handsome?" Calleigh asked.

"Sure. I'm fine, Beautiful." Horatio quirked a rueful, grin. "I just moved wrong, that's all."

"Uh, huh." She replied as she put her hand on his arm. "Don't move that way, Handsome. It hurts." She winked.

"Now she tells me." Horatio mumbled under his breath, with a smirk as well.

Over the course of their meal, Richard came over several times to make sure they were enjoying their meal. Near the end of their dinner, Richard came around and placed the receipt on the table near Horatio's forearm.

"How was your meal?" He asked them.

They all agreed how well the meal turned out.

Jessica turned to Richard. "Could I get a doggy bag, please, Richard?"

At her otherwise innocent question, both men busted up in laughter.

Calleigh and Jessica traded completely confused looks, then Jessica asked. "Did I say something funny?"

The laughter from Horatio and Richard slowly died down, as both men nodded.

"When I very first came to Miami, my English was not so good." Richard admitted.

"Luckily I could speak Italian, because my Mom's family was Italian." Horatio grinned. "Now, guess who made the mistake of asking for a doggy bag as he ran out the door, trying to chase down a bad guy."

First Calleigh, then Jessica both also started laughing as they began picturing what took place.

"I came back to the restaurant, and there sat my plate, in a brown paper bag. I was still on the adrenaline from the chase, and without thinking about it, I picked up the bag, from the top and…."

"Oh, no." Calleigh and Jessica laughed heartily, easily able to picture the scene.

"Did you order Spaghetti, or Fettuccini Alfredo?"

Horatio arched his eyebrow at Calleigh, as if to say 'what do you think?'.

"Oh, no." Calleigh laughed. At Jessica's confused expression, she explained. "Our Patrol Uniforms are brown."

Jessica nodded, laughing.

Horatio finished his story. "So, there I stood, at the start of my shift, uniform no longer clean, but at least pressed, with my lunch all down the front, and no way to get back to headquarters to change." He laughed at the memory.

Richard also laughed. "I knew what a 'to go' container was, of course, and, if I'd'a just known that was what he meant, he not only would have still had his lunch, he also would have made a more suitable representative of Miami's Finest."

"Yes, I would have, on both accounts." Horatio chuckled.

Richard also chuckled. "Yeah, instead you looked like a misplaced scalawag." He set their 'to go' containers on the table.

They emptied the remaining contents of their plates into the 'to go' containers.

Horatio finished with his container and turned to the receipt. He pulled out his Credit Card and passed it, and the receipt, to Richard. "Here you go, Richard. Be sure to put my normal tip in there, too, please."

Richard scowled. "Except that even one quarter of your normal tip is too generous."

Horatio shook his head. "No, it's not, Richard. They do a terrific job. I'm just rewarding a job well done."

"Uh, huh." Richard replied, not at all convinced. He left, then, after a few minutes, came back with Horatio's Credit Card and customer's receipt.

Horatio took both items and put them into his wallet. He turned to Jessica and Calleigh.

"We ready to go, ladies?"

Calleigh and Jessica nodded.

Richard walked them to the front door, then turned to Jessica. "Please be sure to tell the little one I said hello and to get well soon."

She smiled and nodded. "I will, Richard. Thank you."

He pecked Jessica on the cheek, then turned to Calleigh. He shook her hand and also gave her a kiss on the cheek. As he also gave her a hug, he turned toward Horatio.

"Maybe now that you have allowed her into your heart, and into your life, you won't be such a stranger."

Horatio looked down at the floor and grinned. After a couple of minutes, he looked back up and over at Calleigh.

When she looked into his eyes, Calleigh could easily tell what Horatio thought.

"She's had my heart from the moment we met, Richard. That's never been the problem. I thought that the problem was going to be my past, although I was concerned that my present would also complicate things. I've been extremely fortunate, though, to find someone who's willing to put up with me and all my quirks."

Calleigh laughed. "He's not that weird, Richard. I'll try my best to get him here more often."

Richard nodded. "We need to get some more meat on them bones."

Calleigh looked Horatio up and down, then turned to Richard and winked. "I happen to think there's just the right amount of meat on them bones."

Calleigh laughed as Horatio looked down at the floor.

Richard chuckled as well and shook his head. "Get out of here, you scalawag."

Horatio held his hand out to the older man. "Thanks a lot for all your help, Richard."

"You're welcome, sir." Richard shook the red head's hand warmly. "Glad to see you finally found someone, Horatio." He looked over at the two women.

Horatio followed his line of sight. "Me, too." He walked with the women out to the Hummer, and helped them climb in, then climbed into the driver's seat himself. He drove them over to the apartment, and pulled up to the front door of the building.

Jessica opened her door, got out, then slammed the door closed. She then stepped up on the running board under the driver's side door. "Thanks for inviting me for dinner. It's good to know we're not the only family to like their food."

"I've always enjoyed their food." Horatio agreed. "The 'family' atmosphere inside the restaurant can't be beat either."

"This is true." Jessica reached out and patted him on the forearm. "In the meantime, please promise that you'll go home and try to get some rest."

Horatio cracked a rueful grin at her. "Yes, ma'am, or at least I promise to try."

"Horatio….." She interrupted with a warning tone.

"I've got it, Jess." Calleigh told her. "Don't worry."

"I'll try not to." Jessica replied. "What time should I expect you in the morning?"

Horatio thought about it for a minute. "Probably the same as last time, between 6:00 and 6:30."

"That's fine." Jessica told them. "We'll see you in the morning." She stepped off the running board and waved over her shoulder as she walked into the apartment building.


	66. Chapter 66

Chapter 66

Horatio and Calleigh looked at each other and smiled, then Calleigh sat back in her seat as Horatio asked.

"Ok. Where to?"

"My place, for just a couple of minutes, if you don't mind."

"Yes, ma'am." He drove in companionable silence for a few minutes, then Horatio asked.

"What was it you needed to get from home?"

"You mean besides a change of clothes and some pajamas?" She nodded with a quirk of a grin."I was hoping to get what I would need to give you a massage."

Horatio pulled the Hummer into a visitor's space.

"Calleigh, wait a minute."

He got out of the Hummer and walked around to the passenger door. He helped Calleigh to close the door.

She turned to face him and walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

Horatio looked down at her. "That's not necessary, sweetheart. You don't have to."

Calleigh looked up at him, exasperated. "I know I don't have to, Handsome. If you will recall, I had offered, even before Stevie said anything. It's something that I want to do for you. In case you missed the memo, we don't like seeing you in pain. I have an idea that might help get you some sleep, and to help you relax, and hopefully feel a little bit better, if you will trust me."

Horatio pulled her towards him and gave her a hug, as he told her. "Sweetheart, trust has never been the issue." He leaned in and kissed her.

Calleigh remembered where she was, after a minute and broke it off. She rested her forehead against his chest, as she slowly got her breath back.

"What's wrong?" He asked, puzzled.

Calleigh shook her head. "Nothing. I just don't want my neighbors seeing me make out in the parking lot with my boyfriend, that's all."

Horatio laughed, genuinely amused. "Your boyfriend, huh?"

Calleigh nodded, with a smile. "Absolutely.", then looked up at him.

Horatio noticed the pink tinge to her cheeks. He chuckled as he pulled her towards him again. "I'll tell you what, how about we go get your things, then we can take this 'hug fest' over to my house."

Calleigh chuckled as well, and nodded. "We can do that, Handsome." She turned and walked up the steps, up to her front followed her up to the door and watched her unlock it. The door swung open and she invited him in.

He wiped his feet on the front door mat, then stepped over the threshold, and into her started down the little hallway, as she told him. "Make yourself to home, Handsome. I shouldn't be but a few minutes."

He stood in the middle of her living room, as he told her. "It's all right, Beautiful. Take your time."

She walked into her bed room, and pulled out a duffle bag from her closet, and set it on her bed. Calleigh then walked back over to the closet, and pulled out a pair of slacks, as well as a matching top, and put them with her duffle bag. She then went over to her dresser, and pulled out a pajama short set, as well as a bra and underwear. She took everything over to the duffle bag and put all of the items inside. She went into the bathroom and got her 'travel' set of toiletries, toothpaste, mouthwash, shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant, as well as her toothbrush, hairbrush, and the carrying case, and brought those to her duffle bag as well.

Calleigh then walked into her hallway bathroom, and opened the cabinet under the sink. She pulled out a larger bottle, a medium sized plastic bottle, then two smaller glass bottles. She stood there for a moment, thinking, trying to recall something, then, realized she would have to go into the living room to verify something in one of her books. She also knew that Horatio would quickly determine what she was up to, but she hoped that he would not refuse her request.

She knew that the massage, in combination with the aromatherapy, would help him to feel better in no time. If it worked on Hagen, it was certain to work with Horatio, but she also knew that she would have to set just the right mood when she did do it, otherwise, it might not, or at least not as well as she intended.

Getting him out of his trademark 'business casual' suit would be an additional bonus, but it would also be the most complicated aspect to this plan. Seeing him in his casual jeans and shirt the other night, had literally been breath taking. Although he still looked like Horatio, obviously, he also looked so different, that it took a bit of getting used to, to not do a double take whenever she looked over at him. What she had planned, though, was to get him so far out of his clothes, that she hoped he would not refuse her on principle.

Her own experiences with an alcoholic parent reminded her that, when that parent suspected that either the physical or emotional had met it's mark, that the parent in question would remember that particular hole in the armor, and continue to use it as a means of hurting the child.

Basicaly, she knew that she had to get him to let down his guard, to relax, in order for this to work. She looked down at her ingredients, and sighed, then left the bathroom, and walked back into the living room. She stopped at the end of the hallway, and observed the red head……

Horatio watched her walk down the hall, then turned, and walked over to her book case. He quickly noticed books about Ballistics and Forensics, as well as Harry Potter, Mysteries, Science Fiction, and U.S. History. He also noticed several books on Aromatherapy and Massage.

_Is this where she gets her 'magic' from?_ He thought to himself as he picked up one of her Aromatherapy books and leafed through it. He stopped in one section and was reading one passage, when a throat cleared itself behind him. He turned and looked at her as she took the book from him and opened it to a different section.

She read for a moment, then closed it, as she passed it back to him, and mumbled. "That's what I thought."

Horatio took the book from her and watched as she walked away, back towards the bathroom, with a puzzled expression.

Calleigh went back into the bathroom, and followed the instructions in the recipe, and closed the cap of the plastic bottle tightly. _There, that_ _aught to do the trick._ She thought.

Calleigh took the bottle into her bedroom, and added it to her duffle bag, then also added 4 candles to it, and closed the zipper. She picked the bag up as she walked into the living room.

Horatio turned from the book case at the sound of her approach. "Do you have everything?"

She grinned. "Almost, Handsome. The only thing I have left is in my front closet." She walked over to the closet, and opened the door. Inside, on the floor, sat two workout mats, rolled, and tied up. "Do me a favor, please, and grab those, and bring them out to the car."

"Sure." Horatio told her, as he did as she asked. He also noticed that she grabbed another rolled up cloth item, then closed the door.

"Ok. We're ready, now." She told him, as she closed the door.

Horatio opened the front door. "After you."

She smiled at him. "Except that I have the key." She waved her key ring in front of him to illustrate.

"Well, fine, then." He stuck the tip of his tongue out at her.

"Now I know why Richard called you a scalawag." Calleigh laughed. She turned and locked the door, then followed Horatio to the Hummer, as he opened the doors with the remote control. They put her things in to the back seat, then Horatio helped her climb in to the front passenger seat.

Horatio walked around to the driver's side and climbed in as well. He drove to his place, and helped her gather her things from the back seat. Now it was her turn to follow him to the front door.

She watched as he unlocked the front door, and invited her into his home again. He followed her in and locked the door.

"Where do you want this?" He asked

She looked around the living room, then turned to him questioningly. "In here, if you don't mind, that is?"

He shook his head, as he set the items on the floor, next to his coffee table. "Ok. What's next?"

Calleigh turned to regard him, with her hands on her hips. "Well, I'm hoping you have a pair of lounge shorts, or whatever you'd normally wear to bed."

He chuckled, and she just barely caught that mischievous gleam in his eye, as he replied. "I get it." He turned to go up the stairs. "I'll be right back."

"Ok." Calleigh pulled out each of the four candles that she brought, and lit them, then set two of them on the second shelf of each of the units on either side of his tv, then also set the remaining two on each of the end tables on either side of the couch. She untied the two workout mats, and unrolled them, then laid one on top of the other, on the floor, then untied and unrolled the sheet, and covered them with it.

"Well, it looks like you're ready. I'm not quite sure what for, but you're ready." Horatio pointed out from his place at the bottom of the stairs.

Calleigh looked up at the sound of his voice, and her breath caught in her throat. He stood there in red and blue plaid shorts with the matching shirt opened down the front. Even from her position on the other side of the room, Calleigh could easily make out his chiseled physique. She quickly blinked back to the here and now.

"Not completely, but almost." She told him, as she put the bottle of massage oil on the coffee table. She picked up her duffle bag, and walked toward him. "Which way to the guest room, so that I can change?"

Horatio shook his head. "No guest room for you." He turned to point at the top of the stairs. "Once you get to the top of the stairs, take the hall to your left, and my room is the big one on the right, at the end of the hall." He told her.

"Ok. To use your words, I'll be right back." Instead of going up the stairs, though, Calleigh put her bag down on the floor, and pulled him in for a hug. "Don't get nosey, Just hang out and I'll be back as quick as I can."

Horatio chuckled as he nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He replied, as he leaned in for a kiss.

Although the kiss was short and sweet, it was just short enough and sweet enough, that Calleigh knew, when their relationship went to that level, that the fireworks would be spectacular. She sighed, after a moment, then turned, and picked up her duffle bag, and climbed the stairs to the upper level of the house.

Calleigh followed his instructions, and found herself walking into a room that could only have been the Master Suite. A large King sized bed sat in the middle of the room, draped in a burgundy and gold comforter and skirt. She put her duffle bag on to the bed. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a door that had two hangers on it, with a note. 'Calleigh - please use me to hang up your work clothes. Horatio said ok.'

She grinned. Leave it to Horatio to think of his guest, before himself. She quickly hung up her clothes, as he had asked her to, and changed into her own lounge short set. As she was changing clothes, she thought she heard the sounds of a guitar coming from downstairs.

_Maybe the candles are working, already._ She thought, with a smile. She set her bag on the floor, under her hung up clothes, and made her way back downstairs. At the bottom of the stairs, she peeked around the corner and saw him sitting on the stool, strumming lazily on the instrument, not necessarily playing anything specific, but just letting the music move him.

She leaned against the wall, and folded her arms in front of her, and allowed the music to just flow between and around them, as she prayed that he would not look up.

He didn't, for several long moments. When he did, finally, they exchanged a smile, and she walked across the room, as she told him. "One of these days, I'm going to need to record you doing that."

Horatio looked confused. "What for? It's just noise."

"No, it's not, Handsome. What you played may not have been an actual song that someone wrote, but it still did the job of relaxation. Trust me, it was very soothing, very nice."

"I guess." Horatio replied, not really convinced. "What's next?" He asked as he set his guitar back in it's display stand, and stood up.

Calleigh mentally crossed her fingers and hoped a lot. "You, take off your shirt, and lay, face down, on the pallet, please?"

Horatio's eyebrows climbed into his hair, but he wordlessly obeyed her request. He pulled off his pajama top, and draped it over his guitar stool, then laid, face down, on the pallet that Calleigh had created on his living room floor. He pulled the pillow towards himself, and leaned into it, propping up his upper torso and shoulders.

Calleigh looked him over from top to bottom, then asked. "You ok, Handsome?"

"Sure." Horatio told her, but she also noticed that his eyes were closed. "I'm fine."

"Ok." She straddled his hips, then tapped the underside of both of his arms. "You know the drill. Spread 'em."

Horatio chuckled as he moved his arms just a bit further away from his body. "Yes, ma'am."

Calleigh picked up the bottle of massage oil, and opened the top. She poured a small amount into one hand, and rubbed them together, to warm the oil. She smiled to herself at the scent of the oil. _Perfect._ She thought to herself.

As she moved her hands to his shoulders, she told him. "If the pain gets to be much, please say something."

"I will." Horatio replied, as he willed himself to relax. He moaned softly, under his breath, as she hit a particularly tough knot, then, as she worked the knot out, he asked. "Is that scent what you were checking in that book?"

He can't see her smile at that. "Yes. I was double checking the ratio of both scents to the carrier oil, which, in this case, is the nonscented massage oil that I'm using."

"Carrier oil?" He asked.

"Mmmhmmm. It 'carries' the essential oil, which is the scents 'essence', distilled." As Calleigh has made this explanation, she has had the rare opportunity to check him out, unseen. She had not been aware of exactly how well developed and muscular he truly was. She knew that the attention would be something that he would attempt to avoid, if at all possible, which is why she knew that she had to rack her brain, just to remember the last time she had seen him out of his trademark suits.

As she worked her massage, she scanned his body. Broad muscular shoulders, that seemed to take the weight of the world far too often, down, to shoulder blades that were wide, and that stood out in definition as well. His sides and ribs were equally toned and well defined. The indent in his hips and lower back were irresistible to her as well. She wanted to touch him everywhere, but knew that she had planned for this to be about him, and not her.

The scarring from his father's abuse didn't take away from the fact that his musculature rippled when he moved, further perpetuating the use of feline adjectives to describe the red head. She knew that they were, in fact, quite accurate. Even for all his height, at 6 feet tall, his weight, which he somehow seemed to keep down, and his musculature, he seemed to be able to move with the unhurried grace of a cat. She, herself, had used them a time, or two, to describe him, but she had also heard other people using them in reference to him.

She continued the massage down, from his shoulders, down his back, and partially around his torso. Several times, she thought she heard him groan, or otherwise react, to something she had done. "You ok, Handsome?" She asked as she worked from his shoulder blades, and continued down his back.

"I'm fine." He told her, then added. "You're really good at this. I didn't realize I was this knotted up."

Calleigh chuckled, as she worked for just a moment, at the small of his back, around his waist. "I can't take all the credit, Handsome. Part of it might be me, but most of it is the scent from not only the massage oil, but also the candles that I put out."

"Ok. What am I smelling?"

"I have Lavender and Black Pepper in the massage oil, and Vanilla and Lavender candles in various parts of the room." She bypassed his rear end, and picked up the massage at the tops of his legs.

"Why those particular scents?" He asked.

Calleigh poured some more oil onto her hands, then rubbed them together to warm the oil, then turned back to one of his legs, starting at the top of his thigh. "Well, the Lavender and the Black Pepper are to help ease the muscle aches and pains, and help relax the mind. The black pepper also is for soothing some of the bruises that you've got, to help dissolve them."

"What about the Vanilla?" He asked.

Calleigh chuckled. "The Vanilla is just on general principles. I like how it smells." She explained, as she moved the massage down to his knee.

Horatio also chuckled. "I take it you've studied aromatherapy for awhile, now?"

"I have." She admitted. She moved the massage from his knee down to his calf, and his foot. "A friend in college introduced me to aromatherapy. She was really into meditation and self hypnosis, and she claimed that the aromatherapy would help that. I had developed an interest in meditation and massage, actually before I met her, and we met through a mutual friend. I quickly realized that the aromatherapy could easily be applied, as an extension of both, and to both."

"You've been able to pursue your interest in them?" Horatio asked.

Calleigh poured some more oil onto her hands, then rubbed them together to warm the oil, then reached for his other leg, as she told him. "When I moved to Miami, I was quite pleased to discover that I could not only continue, but expand on my knowledge for all of them. Massage, hypnosis, meditation, as well as the aromatherapy." She continued the massage from the top of that leg to his other knee.

Horatio chuckled. "I wouldn't have taken you for an 'alternative medicine' kind of girl."

She chuckled as well. "I'm just chock full of all kinds of surprises."

They laughed.

Calleigh moved the massage down from his knee, down to his calf and foot. "Actually, my mother 'urged' me to pursue the massage, saying that the information was worth having on its own." She finished up with his foot. "For the most part, Mom was right. This one time." She joked. "Roll over for me Handsome." As she patted both his feet.

"I don't know." He thought about it for a minute. "Can you roll a glob of Jello?" He asked.

"Jello?" She asked, not getting the connection.

Horatio chuckled. "Yeah, Jello, because I'm so relaxed right now, I don't think I could move, even if you paid me to."

Calleigh laughed. "I'm glad it's worked that well, but yes, I still need to roll you over. I want to finish your massage, and hopefully get you crawled into bed, at a semi decent hour. We still have to be at the hospital kind of early in the morning."

"Yes, we do." He agreed, as he moved to roll over for her.

As Horatio settled himself, Calleigh took a moment and scanned his body. Just as they had on his back, the bruises across his chest and abdomen stood out in stark contrast to his fair skin and freckles. She also noticed that just as he was muscular, toned, and well defined down and across his back, his chest and abdomen was equally well defined and muscular. Strong, broad shoulders, down to an equally broad, muscular chest, then down further still to a slim, toned waist and a well defined '6 pack' that dissolved into a red happy trail.

When Calleigh moved to straddle his hips, Horatio noticed a pink tinge to her cheeks. He cracked a shy grin as he hesitantly asked. "You like what you see?"

Calleigh smiled. "Very much so." She told him softly, gently, as she leaned in and kissed him. After a few minutes, they broke their kiss for a lack of air. Calleigh laid on top of the red head, as she rested her head against him. She felt his arms wrap around her. "You are so bad."

"Me? What did I do?" He asked as he pulled her towards himself. "I'm just laying here."

"Do you know what you do to me?" She answered his question with one of her own.

Horatio cracked that boyish grin. "I know what I'm hoping."

She chuckled. "I'll bet." She sat up and picked up the bottle of massage oil. She poured some into her hand, then rubbed her hands together, then picked up one of his arms, and gently began to massage his upper arm, slowly working her way down to his elbow, then to his forearm, then his hand. She laid his arm on the pallet, then turned back for the bottle of oil. "You still with me, Handsome?"

"Sort of." He replied, with a sleepy lilt to his voice. "Why?"

She poured some more oil onto her hands, then rubbed it. "I just want you to relax. Let your mind go wherever it wants to go. Don't make it go anywhere special. Ok?" She asked as she picked up his other arm.

"I think I can do that, Beautiful." He told her, that sleepy lilt still in his voice.

"Ok." She smiled down at him. His eyes were still closed. She picked up his other arm, and began massaging the oil into his skin. She slowly moved down his arm to his elbow, then to his forearm, and hand. She laid the limb on the pallet again, then turned back for the bottle of oil. As she poured more oil onto her hands, she asked tentatively. "You still with me, Handsome?"

"Yup. Still here, Beautiful. What's wrong?" He asked her, with his eyes still closed.

"Just making sure, sweetheart. You've got a lot of bruising here on your chest and abdomen. I'll try my best not to hurt you, but please tell me, if I do, ok?"

Horatio's eyes opened. As Calleigh laid her hands on his shoulders, he grabbed her wrists to stop her movement. "Sweetheart, this is a two way street. If I didn't trust you, do you really think I would have agreed to any of this?" He grinned a devilish little grin. "I'll admit, I'm feeling pretty good right this instant. Better than I have for a long time, and it's all because of you. If you agree to continue with what you're doing, until your finished, I'll put up with a little discomfort. Agreed?"

"Except I don't want you to be in any pain at all." She told him. "I only want you to associate this with something positive."

He chuckled. "There's only one thing I'm feeling right this moment, and it's very positive." He told her. "Your amazing, Beautiful. Don't stop, please?"

What could she say to that? She grinned gently down at him, humbled that he would agree to this quite so completely. She leaned in for a kiss, then broke it, as she sat up, putting both of his hands down on the began at his neck and shoulders, slowly working the kinks out. She noticed fairly quickly that his eyes slowly closed at her ministrations. As she continued down to his pectorals, and across his chest, she also noticed that his breathing slowly dropped off.

She quickly grabbed for the bottle of oil again, and poured some more onto her hands. She rubbed her hands together, to warm the oil, then picked up where she left off, from just under his 'nipple line' to around his sides, massaging muscles as she found them, and working knots out when she came to them. She paused here for just a moment, watching his abdomen, as he breathed. He didn't falter, and it remained even and deep, so she continued, slowly working into his abdomen, pressing in to him, and stretching his muscles. "I think we're getting to be done, Handsome. How do you feel?" She asked, as she finished at his sides, just above his shorts.

Horatio opened his eyes, and pulled her towards him. "Fantastic. Stevie was right. You do have magic hands. Thank you."

Calleigh chuckled, as she allowed Horatio to pull her towards him. "I'm glad I could help, Handsome. You're more than welcome. If you need a repeat performance, just let me know, ok?"

Horatio grinned wickedly. "Yes, ma'am. That's a promise." He lifted his head slightly and kissed her.

Calleigh gave as good as she got, putting all of her feelings for the man under her into their kiss. When they eventually broke it for air, she gently reminded him. "Come on, Handsome, let's get you to bed. You have a little boy who is counting on some of your magic for tomorrow."

"Yes, ma'am. Let's go." He both stood up, and after they extinguished the candles, and made sure that the doors were locked, they made their way, together, up the stairs to bed.


	67. Chapter 67

Chapter 67

The next morning, they woke up to the sound of the alarm. Horatio rolled over and turned it off. He then rolled the other way to look at smiled as she asked. "Good Morning, Handsome. How do you feel?"

"Great." He told her as he rolled her over on top of himself. "Your magic hands really worked wonders. Thank you."

Calleigh grinned. "You're welcome." She leaned in for a broke it moments later, for air. As they sat up, he asked.

"Did you want to get a shower before breakfast, or after?"

Calleigh thought about it for a minute. "If you don't mind, I'll take my shower, then I can make us a quick breakfast?"

Horatio shook his head. "Don't mind at all, Beautiful. In fact, make yourself at home. I'll be in the gym, when you get out of the shower."

"Ok." She replied, then thought to ask. "Do you need to use the little boy's room?"

Horatio shook his head. "Nope. Go ahead."

She walked in to the bathroom and closed the door. She came out a very short time later. As she began to get dressed, she heard music float in from downstairs. She easily made out 'Eye of the Tiger', by Survivor, and smiled.

_Appropriate workout music if ever I've heard it_. She finished getting dressed and gathered her belongings there in his room. She took her duffel bag downstairs and sat it on the floor next to the coffee followed the music to Horatio's gym room, just in time to see him pull himself up from an upside down hanging position into a semi sit-up position, Calleigh watched from her place at the door.

"Dennis had been trying to teach Stevie how to do those, but I don't think it was working very well." She admitted. "This may have been one of those exercises where Dennis was using it as a means of putting Stevie down, and keeping him down."

Horatio moved from the hanging position to stand on his own two feet. "Poor Stevie. I can understand his frustration with them. They are extremely hard to do. I have actually only been doing them a short period of time. My friend Charlie taught me how to do them." He walked over to stand in front of her. "Charlie may be able to suggest a sit up that Stevie will be able to do instead."

Calleigh offered Horatio a towel. "I sincerely hope so, Handsome. Anything that we can do to suggest an alternate method of doing something that he will be able to do, is all that much better. It all boils down to Stevie having the confidence to do things himself, and being able to see the end results of him doing them himself that is the ticket."

"I know that, Beautiful." Horatio agreed. "That's what we're working on. That's the ultimate goal. We're going to get there, slowly but surely." He wiped the sweat off his brow.

"I know, Handsome. Stevie is full of all kinds of surprises. You haven't see anything yet." She told him. "Now, what can I interest you for breakfast?" She asked.

"You know, that's a really good question." Horatio admitted. "I have pretty much anything you might want, so whatever catches your eye." He told her. "I'm going upstairs to get a quick shower."

"No, problem. I'll have breakfast hot, and ready, when you finally emerge from your shower."

Horatio chuckled. "Yeah, well. After I get out of the shower, I have to get some things ready for our trip to the hospital. I'll be out as quick as I can." He told her, as he walked out of the room, and down the hall, back towards the stairs, to head upstairs to his he did get out of the shower, a very few short minutes later, and got dressed into his swim trunks, then pulled on a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt over it, then, just like a couple of days before, put a suit, and shirt in his suit travel bag, then gathered the other things he needed for his change into his work clothes, a clean pair of boxers, as well as a pair of dress socks, as well, as a gathered the suit carrier, and his duffel, and made his way back down the stairs. As he came into the dining room, he could easily make out the smells of a home cooked breakfast. He sniffed the air appreciatively. "Do I smell French Toast?" He asked, as he walked into the kitchen with his nose in the chuckled as she nodded.

"Yup. French Toast, with fruit on the side."

"It smells really good, too, Beautiful. Let's sit down, before it gets cold."

They did just that, then they quickly cleaned up the dirty dishes, and set the dishwasher to going, then gathered their belongs, and made their way out to the Hummer. They drove over and picked up Jessica, then made their way over to the hospital.


	68. Chapter 68

Chapter 68

They walked in to Stevie's room just in time to hear the day Nurse, Andi, as she told the youngster. "Doctor Fitzgerald said that I won't have to replace your I.V., Stevie."

"Whoa!! That's great." Stevie saw the adults. "Isn't it, guys?"

"What, Stevie?" Horatio asked.

Andi explained. "I was just explaining to Stevie. Doctor Fitzgerald was saying that when you guys come out of the 'bath', that it's not going to be necessary to have to put another I.V. into Stevie's hand."

Jessica, Calleigh, and Horatio all shared smiles. "That is fantastic news, Partner. I'm very glad to hear it. I know you really don't much care for them." Horatio agreed.

"No. That's true, H. I don't really care for them. I know that they're necessary to help me get better, but, no, I've never really liked them. Now, I'll be able to get back in my chair, so that I'll be able to exercise, at least a little, so that I can get back in the gym and the pool."

"Not so fast, Stevie." Andi tried to put a halt to it. "You're still going to need to stay in bed, at least for another few days, but we're going to try to ease you back into your chair, so that it's not a complete shock to the system."

"I know, Andi, but the sooner I get back in my chair, the sooner I can work out some of the kinks." Stevie argued. "I have to be able to get back into shape as quickly as possible, so the sooner I can get into my chair, the sooner I'm going to."

"Stevie." Horatio interrupted. "You could potentially hurt yourself by trying to push things a little too quickly, and I know you're not going to want to have to stay here any longer than necessary, please try to take it easy, and we will, in fact, get you back into shape as quickly as is possible." He told the youngster.

"I'll try, H. No promises, but I'll try." The youngster replied.

"That's all that I ask." Horatio admitted. "In the meantime, are you ready to get this show on the road?"

"Yup, let's do this." Stevie agreed.

"Let me go see if I can find Diego and Dr Fitzgerald, and we'll get started."

When Andi left the room, to look for Fitzgerald, Horatio looked at the women, who understood his look.

As the ladies made their way to the door, Horatio turned to the youngster.

"Where did we end up putting your swim trunks the other day, Partner?"

"After they dried, we put them back in my duffel bag, H." The youngster pointed towards the closet on the other side of the room.

Horatio walked over to the closet and opened the door, then pulled out the duffel bag. He unzipped the zipper, then reached in and pulled out the garment he was looking for.

Horatio put the duffel back on the floor of the closet, then took the youngster's swim trunks over to the boy. "Here you go, Stevie. I found them.?"

"Thanks a lot, H." Stevie replied as he took the garment from the older man.

"Are you going to need any help?" Horatio looked down at the youngster.

"Let me try to do it myself, H, and see how far I get on my own." Stevie first bent one leg at the knee and pulled his swim trunks on, then straightened out his leg, then repeated the process with the other leg. He then began rocking his body left ad right, inching his trunks up his legs, then up and over his hips, then up to his waist. When he looked up at Horatio, the red head clapped.

"You did it, Stevie, good job, Partner. I'm proud of you, son."

"Thanks a lot, H. I wasn't really all that sure I was going to be able to do it, and you know what?" Stevie looked up at the red head. "I'm not even all that sure I did it this time, cause now, I'm really tired, and I don't think I should be. You know?"

Horatio chuckled. "Unfortunately, I do know, Stevie. That's what we mean when we have asked you to try to take it easy, Partner. You're going to have to take it easy for the next few days, even if it seems like you're not doing very much, you have to stop and remember that the body has not done anything for several days, and the glass you got dropped on cut muscles, and you're going to feel it, every time you move, at least temporarily." He reminded the youngster as he walked over to where his own duffle was put. He untied one sneaker and removed it and the sock under it, then shifted his stance and removed the other sneaker and sock. He then stood up and untied and pulled off his sweat pants, to reveal his swim trunks underneath them.

"I know, H, but what I told Andi does still apply too. I don't want you and Mister Eric, and Mister Ryan, and Detective Tripp to think I'm a wuss. I don't want you guys to think I'm trying to take the easy way out." Stevie tried to tell the older man.

"We know better, Stevie. Mister Eric and I were at the Events Center at the time of the robbery, and we saw you get tossed out of the van, so we know you're not making things up. Although Mister Ryan and Detective Tripp weren't actually there that night, we all know enough about medical issues and conditions, and we have all seen the evidence on your body, that they know too, that you're not making this up." Horatio drove home his point, as he walked over to the bed. "None of us think you're trying to 'wuss' out on this. We all know that you're going to need some extra time in the gym, and the pool, so try not to worry about this too much, Stevie. We're going to get you passed this, ok? Trust us. We know what we're doing, ok?"

The youngster nodded. "I know that you do, H. Trust has never been the issue. I trust you maybe a bit more that I trust even myself at this point." Stevie chuckled. "I'll try my best to not worry about it, too much, but I don't promise that I won't still try to get back to where I was just before the accident."

Horatio also chuckled. "That's all we ask, little man, that's all we ask. Now, I'm going to go let Mom and Aunt Calleigh back in, then I'm going to try to go find Dr Fitzgerald, ok?"

Stevie nodded. "Ok, H. That sounds like a plan."

Horatio opened the door, and in walked Mom, Aunt Calleigh, and Dr Alexx, just seconds in front of Andi, Dr Fitzgerald, Diego, Eric and Ryan. "Hey, there, Stevie. How are you feeling today, Little man?"

"I'm feeling a little better, Dr Fitz, but why does it seem like I still have no energy?" The youngster asked. "I mean, I was able to put my swim trunks on by myself, but I was so tired afterwards. Why is it that even the smallest, simplest things take all my energy?"

"Well, Stevie, a lot of your energy has gone to help make you better. Your body is sending a lot of it's energy, and as a result, your immunity, to make you better, not only from this, but also from the accident where you lost your legs and your Dad was killed. Once we get you back in the pool and the gym, and you start working out again, the positive energy, and the immunity, will feed on itself, and you'll get back to feeling like the old Stevie again, very quickly, but you are going to have to take it easy, at least at first, but when it starts working again, you'll know when you can push, until your just too tired to go any further. You understand what I mean, Stevie?" Dr Fitzgerald asked.

"I understand, Dr Fitz." The youngster admitted.

Fitzgerald looked up and over at Horatio, who nodded, slightly. "Good." He turned back to the youngster. "How about we get started, then? You ready?"

Stevie nodded. "As ready as I'm ever going to be. Let's do this."

Fitzgerald nodded to Diego, and the male nurse walked out of the room for just a minute, then very quickly came back in with a gurney. He and Fitzgerald moved it over so that it was against Stevie's hospital bed, then set the breaks. Both men picked up the youngster, and laid him down on the gurney, then covered him with a sheet, then a blanket. They released the breaks on the gurney, then wheeled it out of the room, and down the hall.

Getting there first, Diego pressed the call button for the elevator, and after a few minutes, the arrival bell 'dinged', announcing the arrival of the car. When the door opened, Diego and Eric pushed the gurney into the elevator, and Dr Fitzgerald pressed the button for their floor. The car 'dinged' again when they got to their floor, and the doors opened. The group retraced their steps into the room with the tank in it."

"Ok, Diego. Please go ahead and start the saline to heating up, and please let me know when it reaches 90 degrees."

"Yes, Doctor." Diego replied, as he walked over to the wall of monitors.

Horatio walked over to the gurney. "You ready, Stevie?" He asked as he pulled the sheet and the blanket off the youngster's body.

"Yup. Let's do this." Stevie agreed.

Horatio picked the youngster up, and as Stevie wrapped his arms around the red head's neck, he asked. "Are you ok, from yesterday, H? I may be too heavy."

Horatio chuckled. "You're not too heavy, partner. I've got you."

Dr Fitzgerald followed the two of them up the stairs, then down the stairs on the other side, into the tank. As Horatio and Stevie sat on the bench, Fitzgerald picked up one of the masks, then turned and put it on Stevie, fitting it quickly and easily to the youngster's face.

He then gave one to Horatio and kept one for himself, also putting it on and tightening the straps so that it fitted his face completely. "How are we doing?"

The others could hear him over the intercom.

"Everything looks ok, Dr Fitzgerald. Let's get started." Horatio told the man.

"Yup. Let's get this show on the road." Stevie agreed.

"Ok." Dr Fitzgerald also agreed. "Diego, let's go ahead and start the saline running."

"I was just about to tell you, Dr. The saline just reached 90 degrees. I'll go ahead and start it running now." The male nurse informed him.

"Thank you." Fitzgerald replied.

The saline began pouring out of the faucets near the floor of the tank

While they waited for the tank to fill to an appropriate level, Stevie asked.

"How are you doing, today, H?"

"I'm doing a lot better, today, Stevie. You were right. Aunt Calleigh does have magic hands."

The youngster chuckled. "Told you so. Aunt Calleigh's magic is unbeatable."

"That's very true, Stevie." Horatio agreed. "Aunt Calleigh's magic is pretty special, and it's not just in her hands, but in all of her that makes her special."

"I know." Stevie admitted, then he added. "She's not the only one with special magic in our little family, though, H."

Horatio looked at the youngster with a questioning look. "Who do you mean, Stevie?"

"I mean you. Aunt Calleigh is always saying that it's magic to watch you do what you do."

Horatio chuckled. "She does, huh?"

"Oh, yeah."

Not even Stevie can see the blush that is starting to creep in, not only for Horatio, but for Calleigh too. To get the attention off himself, and to probably save Calleigh as well, Horatio hoped the change in subjects would not go too noticed.

"Have you started your story yet, Stevie?"

The saline is starting to inch it's way past Stevie's head.

"Yeah, I did, H, but there was a couple of things I thought of later that I realized I needed to ask you."

"Ok. Like what?" Horatio asked.

"In order to be the boss, the Lt, you kind of have to know a little bit about all their jobs, don't you?"

Horatio chuckled. "Well, Stevie, the rules say that I have to know a little about all their jobs, yes, and I do, but with my memory, though, and as quickly as I learn most things, I'm able to know almost as much about their jobs, as they do, so that if they need help with analyzing evidence or anything, or if they're off on another scene, then I can do the work for them."

Eric interrupted. "Wait a minute, H. Stevie, what story?"

"I'm sorry, Mr Eric. I forgot that I hadn't told you, Mr Ryan, or Dr Alexx."

"About what, Stevie?" Ryan asked.

"Well, I have to write this fictional story for my art class, about someone I know. I  
was going to send all of you to the Enterprise D in the 24th Century."

"Whoa, and to meet Worf, and Captain Picard, and the gang? That would be so cool." Ryan added his two cents worth.

"It would be cool, wouldn't it?" Eric agreed. "And to have just that one scanner to have to carry."

"Well, yeah, but Eric, each of our different tricorders would be programmed for each of our different jobs."

"Yes they would be, but, the tricorders wouldn't be all, or even the only thing you'd use to solve the mystery. I'd prefer to think that using the brain for something besides a hat rack is something that won't ever go out of style, and that you'd still have to use it, even in the 24th Century to be a cop." Stevie explained.

"That's very true, Stevie. You'd still have to use your brain, even in the 24th Century to be a cop." Horatio agreed.

"When can we see your story, Baby boy?" Alexx asked.

Stevie chuckled. "I'll let all of you read it, but not just yet. It's going to be a short story, and I don't have long to work on it, to get it turned in by the deadline, but I will let all of you read it."

"I feel safe in saying, this one time, I can speak for the entire team, when I say that, when it's ready, we'll be happy to take a look at it for you, Stevie." Horatio told the youngster.

"Thanks a lot gang. I'll let you know." Stevie told them.

The saline had reached over Horatio's head.

"Dr Fitzgerald, I wanted to let you know, that Dennis would not be coming back to be Stevie's Physical Therapist. Is there anyone else in the Therapy Department that you would recommend to replace him?"

Fitzgerald had bent down to pick up the scrubbing hose, but turned sharply to look over at the red head. "Dennis was not what he claimed to be?" He asked.

"No, Dr, he was not." Eric replied.

Fitzgerald thought about it for a moment. "Apparently, you should not be taking my opinion on who should be Stevie's therapist, or who should not be."

Horatio sighed. "I'm asking for your opinion Dr, because you are part of this team. Yes, I will admit that you made a mistake, but we all do from time to time. If you're not willing to give me an honest answer, then I'll just have to find it somewhere else." Horatio thought about it for a moment. "Dr Fitzgerald, do you by chance have a list of all of the Therapists that work in the department?"

The saline has gone above the Doctor's head.

"Go ahead and turn off the saline, please, Diego."

"Yes, Dr Fitzgerald." The nurse did as he was told.

Fitzgerald turned on the scrubbing hose, and the saline began flowing through the filter. "Ok, Stevie, do me a favor, and bend over Horatio's lap, so that I can get your back first."

"Ok, Dr Fitz." The youngster bent over Horatio's lap.

As Fitzgerald began scrubbing Stevie's legs, he told Horatio. "To answer that question, Lt, yes, I do have a list of all of the therapists that work for the department, but it's in my office. When I have the chance, I'll fax it over to you."

"Thank you, Dr. That would be greatly appreciated." Horatio replied.

Dr Fitzgerald made quick work of scrubbing the youngster's legs clean. Just before he moved up to Stevie's back, he asked. "How you doing, Stevie? Do you need a pain pill yet."

"Nope. Not yet, Dr Fitz. I'm ok." Stevie told him.

Fitzgerald moved the scrubber to Stevie's back, and was also able to make quick work of this area as well. "Ok, Stevie, you can sit up, now."

Stevie sat up, and leaned against Horatio. "This is going pretty quick, Dr Fitz. Is it because I'm used to what you are doing, or because I'm not so scared?"

"It might actually be a little bit of both, Stevie." Horatio told him. "It's good that you're not so scared."

"Yeah. You're ok, Little man." Ryan agreed. "Besides, you're not all that scared."

"Oh, yes, I am, Mister Ryan. If I were wearing boots, I'd be quaking in them."

The adults chuckled at his attempt at a joke.

Eric walked up to the tank. "You know, Stevie, this sort of reminds me of when I was first learning how to scuba dive. Our scuba instructor had been working with us in an indoor pool, and on the third day, he started us on working with the scuba gear. Now, mind you, I'm a first generation America, and I was born here, so I've always been comfortable in the water, I've always been able to swim, and all of that. There was this one boy in our class. He wasn't as comfortable in the water as I was, and when we went into the deep end of the pool, to work on getting familiar with the equipment, he accidentally got some water in his mask, and he freaked. The coach was up on deck at the shallow end of the pool, and there was no one else who could help, so I rushed in to save him.

"After everything calmed down, the Coach took me aside, and he asked me why I did what I did do, and I told him that there had not been anyone around at the time who could, and he pointed out to the pool and told me that we had been in the deepest part of the pool, and that if he had really panicked, he could have killed both of us, by taking me down with him. I told him, that it didn't matter if he could have killed both of us, that at the time, he was in real trouble then, and that there was no one else available to help the kid, and no one had made a move to do it, so that left me and that my parents would have wanted me to try to help him, and not stand around looking stupid.

"We weren't aware of the fact that we were in the deepest end of the pool, primarily because we weren't paying attention. We had other things to worry about at the time, just like the other day. This was all new to you, and you really had no idea what was going to happen, and even though, you had H in there with you, the situation was just new enough, and different enough that you didn't know what was going to happen, and that made it all the scarier, didn't it?"

Stevie nodded, as he looked up at the red head. "I didn't mean to worry you, or make you mad at me, H, but, even with you there, I was really scared. I knew that you wouldn't let Dr Fitz do anything really bad to me, but I wasn't sure what was going to happen, and yes, I was quaking in my boots."

Horatio chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the youngster. "I'm not mad at you, so don't worry about it, Stevie. I rather thought that you were, and that was why I told you that I was going in with you. I would have been worried if you weren't at least a little bit scared of the cleansing baths. Remember when we talked about fight or flight? Well, this is one of those times when fight normally kicks in. I knew that if you got really scared in there, that Dr Fitzgerald would have a hard time keeping your mind off of how scared you were. So, I volunteered to go in with you."

"Yeah, well, still and all, thanks for coming in with me, H. I really do appreciate it."

"I know you do, Stevie. It's not a problem, Partner." Horatio told the little boy.

"Ok, Stevie. You're done, little man. Hopefully this will be your last one." Dr Fitzgerald told them. "Diego, please go ahead and empty the tank. We really are done. Andi, please go find us some towels, and I'm going to need the bottle of liquid bandage again."

"Wow, that was quick." Stevie commented.

"Yes, sir, Dr." The male nurse flipped switches the other way, and turned the wheel the other way, and after a couple of minutes, the saline began running down the drain.

"Yes, Dr." Andi also replied, as she walked out of the room for several minutes.

Horatio picked Stevie up, and, after Stevie put his arms around Horatio's neck, Horatio started moving up the stairs, even as the saline started flowing down the drain. The instant they were both above the level of the saline, Horatio stopped.

Dr Fitzgerald caught up with them, and helped to remove all three breathing masks, then together, they moved up the stairs out of the tank, then down to the floor, and the gurney.

Horatio walked around the gurney, and laid Stevie on it, so that he could roll over, which the youngster did.

Dr Fitzgerald and Horatio both took towels from Andi, and dried Stevie off, first, then, once that was done, took two additional towels, to dry themselves off. They tossed the wet towels in the laundry bin, then Dr Fitzgerald took the bottle of liquid bandage from Andi, and walked over to Stevie.

"Ok, Stevie. I'm going to start putting the liquid bandage on you again. Please tell me if you think you start feeling anything out of the normal." Fitzgerald reminded him.

"I will, Dr Fitz. Don't worry." Stevie promised.

Horatio looked over at Jessica for just a moment, then turned back to the youngster. "Stevie, I need to ask you and Mom about something that's going to be kind of hard."

That gets Stevie's attention. "Like what, H?"

"Yeah, like what, Horatio?" Jessica agreed.

"It's about Steve, Sr." Horatio let that hang there for just a minute.

"What about him, Horatio?" Jessica asked, her voice betraying her true willingness to approach this subject.

"Well, do either of you recall anything, let's say the last year of his life, if he came home upset about something that might have happened at work, or if anything unusual happened at work, or anything he might have said about work…….?"

Jessica thought about it for a long moment, then slowly shook her head. "Nothing comes to mind, Horatio. Steve was always trying to keep his work life, and his home life separated, but, sometime that didn't always work the way he had intended." She walked back over to stand next to Calleigh.

From the gurney came a softly spoken. "Hey, H?"

Horatio leaned over the gurney. "I'm right here, Partner. What is it?"

"Well, sometimes, Dad told me things about work, but he didn't want Mom to worry about, or anything, you know."

Horatio grinned. "Yeah, I do know. What did he tell you?"

"Not really a lot, H, but, I think about a year and a half, maybe a bit more, before he was killed, he came home one night, and he wasn't very happy. He stayed in his den, which was weird by itself. When I asked if anything was wrong, all he said was that he thought he knew what his family was capable of. I was really scared, and I asked Dad if Mom or I had done something bad, and he blinked, and shook his head. When he looked over at me, he smiled, and said that Mom and I weren't the family he had been talking about, and that there was nothing we could do that would disappoint him, but that his family at work was what was a disappointment. He really didn't want to talk about it, but what he did say was that something had happened at work that he wasn't very happy about."

"I understand, Stevie. You did very well remembering all of that. Thank you. It's going to really help out a lot." Horatio ran his hand gently through Stevie's hair.

Dr Fitzgerald patted Stevie on the shoulder. "Ok, Stevie. How about you roll over for me and we can get you squared away."

"Ok, Dr Fitz." Stevie started to push himself up off the gurney.

"Hold on a minute, Dr Fitzgerald." Horatio interrupted. He motioned for Eric to come over to the gurney. "Eric, grab Stevie's feet. We're gong to turn him over, sort of in mid air."

"Ok, H." Eric replied, as he gripped Stevie's ankles. "You ready, buddy?" He asked Stevie.

"All I ask is that you don't flip me too fast, please?"

"Awww, come one, Stevie. What's the matter? Don't you like flying through the air with the greatest of ease?" Ryan teased.

"When it's my idea, sure, I do, Mr Ryan." Stevie admitted, with a chuckle.

The adults chuckled as well.

"Ok." Horatio commented, then told Eric. "On 3, Eric, let's lift him and flip this little pancake." He winked over at Eric, who grinned. "One…two…three, now."

The two men lifted the youngster, then slowly rolled him so that Stevie was lying on his back on the gurney.

Before Eric or Horatio could move away, Stevie grabbed for their wrists. "When I get to feeling better and have a little more energy, I'll show you a 'little pancake', Mister." He teased the two men.

Eric laughed as he moved away.

Dr Fitzgerald moved to take the Cuban young man's place at Stevie's bedside. "How are you doing, Stevie. Do you need a Tylenol yet?"

"No, Thank you, Dr Fitz. I'm ok, at least for right this instant. I may want one when we get back upstairs, but not now."

"You're doing just fine, Stevie. You're ok." Horatio agreed.

Fitzgerald leaned over the gurney, and began applying the liquid bandage to the youngsters injuries.

"How quickly will we know if this has worked, Dr Fitz?" Stevie asked.

Fitzgerald looked up from his work, over to Horatio, then he turned back to the youngster. "Well, Stevie, I was going to take a blood sample from you a little later this afternoon, after you've had a chance to rest from this. Your white blood cell count went up to a significant level, just from the first one, but, unfortunately, not to a level where I felt that this wasn't necessary. Your WBC count had dropped to such a dangerously low level that I knew it more than likely would take more than one treatment to get it back to where it should have been. It should go up to an appropriate level, so that you will start to feeling better, mentally, and that you have more energy, and want to do more things. Once you do get back into the pool, and the gym, then energy should start feeding on itself, meaning that each day, you'll feel better, and better, and will want to do more and more, so that we'll have you feeling like the old Stevie in no time flat."

Stevie chuckled. "I certainly hope so, Dr Fitz. This laying around and doing nothing stuff is for the birds. Pretty soon, I'm not going to have any muscles to do anything with."

"That's why I asked Dr Fitzgerald about the PT list, Stevie. We want to be able to get you back into the swing of things as quickly as you feel up to it, Partner. Eric, Ryan and I will be right beside you, every step of the way, and Dr Alexx will be our 'Team Dr' so that none of us gets hurt or anything, ok?" Horatio was quick to explain to the youngster.

Stevie grinned. "Ok, H. I get it." He told the older man.

Fitzgerald stood up, as he tightened the lid on the liquid bandage bottle, and passed it back over to Andi. "Ok, gang. We're done. Let's get him back upstairs." As he replaced the sheet and the blanket.

Horatio took the head of the gurney, while Ryan took the foot, and the two of them maneuvered it down the hall. The little group retraced their steps to the elevator, then up to Stevie's floor, then back to his room.


	69. Chapter 69

Chapter 69

They moved the gurney right against the bed, and just as Horatio and Ryan started to lift him off the gurney, Stevie asked. "Hold up a minute guys." He looked over at Dr Fitzgerald. "Dr Fitz, if I asked for a Tylenol, would you be trying to put an IV in me, or could I get a pill and some water?"

"No, Stevie. I meant it when I said that you weren't going to have the IV put back in. If you need a Tylenol, I'll go have Andi get you one."

"I'm sorry, Dr Fitz, but, yes, please." Stevie replied.

"Nothing for you to be sorry about, Stevie." Horatio told him.

"Nope. Not a thing, Stevie." Fitzgerald agreed. He turned to Andi. "One 500 mg pill, please, Andi."

"Yes, Dr." She replied, then turned and left the room.

"Dr. Fitz, do I have to get back in bed, like, right away?" The youngster asked.

Fitzgerald smiled. "I take it you're wanting to sit up for awhile?"

"Hold on a minute, Stevie." Horatio covered the recliner there in the room with several towels. He sat in the chair, holding another towel as he told Eric. "Do me a favor, Eric, please, and bring him over here."

"Sure, H." Eric walked over to the gurney. "Ok, Stevie, whenever you're ready, Little man." He told the youngster, as he held his arms open.

Stevie leaned in and wrapped his arms around Eric's neck. "Yes, please, Mr Eric."

Eric picked Stevie up off the gurney, and as he turned to put the youngster in Horatio's lap, in walked Frank Tripp.

"So, this is where all of you disappeared to." He put his hands on his hips in a good imitation of Horatio. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were trying to tell me something."

The adults laughed at him. Frank knelt down so that he was eye to eye with Stevie. "Hey, there, Little Man. How're you feeling?" He held his hand out to the youngster.

"I'm doing a bit better, Mr Frank, thank you." Stevie's little hand got swallowed up by the bigger man's hand. "I'm hoping that this was the last cleansing we'll have to do. Dr Fitz says that he's pretty sure it will be, but we'll see."

Andi walked in just then. "Here you go, Stevie." She passed him the one cup, which had the pill in it, and watched as he put the pill into his mouth, then she gave him the other cup which had some water in it.

"Yup, down the hatch, Stevie." Horatio helped him hold the cup, as the youngster swallowed the pill down.

"Ok, all gone." Stevie opened his mouth to show the adults that it was, in fact, gone.

Andi traded an amused grin with Horatio. "Ok, little man. You're going to get sleepy, just go with the flow."

"I know, Andi, thanks a lot." Stevie leaned into Horatio.

"You're going to be just fine, Stevie." Frank looked up at Horatio. "There was a note on my desk saying that you were wanting a couple of people picked up." He stood up.

"Yes, I did, Frank." Horatio confirmed. "Mr Wolfe, before you go back with Frank, please give Dr Fitzgerald the lab's main fax number."

"Sure, H. We can do that."

Then, once you round everybody up, hang on to them until we get there. Eric and I have an errand to run, but we'll be back as quick as we can."

"No problem, H. We're on it." Frank told him. "We'll see you back at the lab."

"Thank you, sirs."

Ryan and Frank walked out of the room and over to the Nurse's Station.

Fitzgerald looked up at their approach. "Yes, officers?"

"Yes, Dr. Lt Caine asked us to leave the main fax number for the lab with you, so that, when you have the chance, please fax the current list of available physical therapists to us." Ryan held out a sticky 'Post it' note to the Doctor.

Fitzgerald took the note and put it in Stevie's file. He wrote on it for just a minute, then looked up.

"I'll get that faxed over as quickly as I can." Fitzgerald promised.

"Thanks a lot, Doc." Ryan told him.

Frank nodded his thanks as well, then followed Ryan down the hall to the elevator.

Back in Stevie's room, the youngster looked up at his mother.

"Did you get the chance to grab something to eat, Mom?"

"Yes, I did, Stevie. I made myself a couple of eggs, some toast, a little bowl of cream of wheat and some fruit."

"Ok. I'm glad that you're taking care of yourself, Mom." Stevie told her. "You know I worry about you and you know Dad would get mad if he thought you weren't taking care of yourself."

She sighed. "I know, Stevie. You and your Dad have always been my men and have always taken very good care of me."

"Well, I'm not able to do the job the same way I used to, and you've lost Dad, but think of it this way, Mom, you've gained 4 other men who can help take care of you. Well, 3 and a half, really."

Jessica looked at her son, confused. "Where are you getting three and a half, Stevie?"

The youngster poked Horatio in the chest. "Him. He's the half. Although I think Aunt Calleigh is willing to share, he actually belongs to her, then you've got Mr Frank, Mr Ryan, and Mr Eric."

Calleigh laughed. "No, I'm not willing to share. You can't have him. He's mine."

Stevie also laughed. "Aunt Calleigh, don't you know you're supposed to share?"

Laughter filled the room as someone knocked on the door. They looked over at the door and found an older man and woman standing in the doorway.

"Grandma!! Grandpa!!" Stevie exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"We saw the story on the news and remembered your Mom had said that she was going to try to get tickets for you to go see the Trotters."

"Yeah, well, that was a bust." Stevie grumbled.

"So we see." Grandma commented. "What happened, Stevie?"

The youngster went on to explain what happened to his Grandparents and made quick introductions.

Grandma and Grandpa looked at each other, concerned, as the enormity of the situation very quickly made itself known.

"Are you going to be ok, Stevie?" His Grandfather asked.

Stevie yawned widely for a minute, then looked up at the older man. "Try not to worry, Grandpa. I'm going to be fine. Once Dr Fitz releases me to get back in the pool and the gym, I'm going to be back in shape as quick as I can. The only bad part about all of this, is that, of course, Dr Fitz doesn't think it's a good idea for me to be seen without a shirt on by anybody."

The older man looked his grandson over. "Would not be a good idea. No."

Stevie shook his head as he yawned widely again. "Uh, no."

Horatio hugged the little boy. "Listen, partner, how about if I put you in bed, that way you can go to sleep when you need to, ok?"

"Ok, H. I know you and Mr Eric have something you need to go take care of before you go back to the lab. I'd also prefer it if you go get something to eat too."

Calleigh and Alexx laughed, as Horatio stood up, holding the boy in his arms. At the women's laughter, his eyebrow climbed into his hair. He stood there for a moment, then looked at the boy in his arms. "Exactly what makes you think I didn't eat anything for breakfast this morning."

Stevie giggled. "I'm sorry, H. It's just that, sometimes, Aunt Calleigh complains about how it seems like you hardly ever eat anything. You can't be doing that all the time. You have to learn to start eating more regularly. You do know that it doesn't work like you want it to, when you go without eating sometimes, don't you?"

Horatio looked down at the floor for several minutes. When he looked back up, he could easily read the worry on the expressive 12 year old face. He hugged the youngster to him, as he told Stevie. "I know that I should, Stevie, but sometimes, I get busy, and I forget to eat. Luckily, I have you, and Aunt Calleigh, and Dr Alexx, and the team to remind me." Horatio chuckled. "Aunt Calleigh is my witness, I actually ate something this morning, and quite a bit too, for me. We had French Toast, and fruit, and coffee, before we picked up Mom."

"That's true, Stevie. He's innocent, this time." Calleigh agreed.

"Ok, Aunt Calleigh." Stevie replied, as Horatio laid him on the bed. Horatio started to step away from the bed, but Stevie grabbed the older man's arm. "You do realize that we wouldn't tease and nag you, unless we loved you and wanted to keep you around, don't you?"

Horatio smiled, gently, down at the youngster. "I know, Stevie. Don't worry. I'm not mad, Partner." He stood up. "Now, I want you go try to get some sleep, ok?"

"Ok, H." Stevie turned his head, and closed his eyes.

Horatio walked over to his duffle bag, and pulled out the things he would need for his shower. "Calleigh, could you do me a favor, and when I ask for it, would you please pass me my suit?"

"Sure thing, Handsome." She replied.

"Thank you, Ma'am." He walked into the bathroom, and closed the door behind himself.

The water turned off a few minutes later, and the door opened again.

Calleigh was right there, and held his suit out to him. "Here you go, Handsome."

"Thank you, Beautiful." He took it from her, and closed he door. After a few additional minutes, he came out of the bathroom and put everything away.

Horatio turned and looked over at the bed. Stevie was sound asleep, so he turned to Jessica. "Jessica, do you think Stevie is old enough to handle having a pet?"

Jessica looked confused. "What kind of pet?"

"I have this friend who has a parrot who's extremely social and I wanted to introduce him to Stevie. Charlie has had Marty for a long time, and they're always doing tricks and performing for kids in various locations, hospitals, schools, fairs, etc."

Jessica thought about it for a minute, then told the red head. "He's never had a pet before, but, yes, I am fairly certain that he can handle the responsibility of having one."

"I think so, too, Handsome. He's ready for the responsibility." Calleigh agreed.

"Alrighty then. Let me work on it." Horatio told them. As he moved toward the door, Horatio added. "Calleigh, we'll meet you and Alexx back at the lab. Eric and I have an errand to run, then we'll catch back up with everyone back at the lab." Horatio motioned for Eric to come with him.

"We'll see you back at the lab, boys. Please be careful." Alexx told them.

Horatio and Eric looked at each other for a moment, then both turned back to Alexx. "Yes, Mom." They replied at the same time, as they both ducked around the door at the sound of laughter.

Eric helped Horatio as he carried his suit travel case, and his duffle bag, out to the Hummer.


	70. Chapter 70

Chapter 70

Eric and Horatio made their way over to the car lot and walked in to the show room.

Miguel stood off in a corner with a man and a woman. He noticed when Eric and Horatio walked in. He motioned for them to wait in an out of the way spot and went back to his conversation with the man and woman. After a few minutes another young man in a suit and tie joined them and Miguel included him in their conversation. He then shook the man's and the woman's hands, then nodded to the young salesman, then made his way over to where Eric and Horatio waited. He shook Horatio's and Eric's hands as he told the men.

"Thanks for coming by gentlemen."

"No problem, Miguel. What was it you needed to talk to us about?"

Miguel led them around to the garage where the work was being done. "We wanted to show you a couple of ideas that we're working on and we also wanted your input on a couple of ideas." They walked in to the garage and up to the first work station they came to.

"Carlos and Jose are working on a computer/game system for Stevie in the back."

The men stopped at another table.

"Hector and Paco, here are working on the new GPS and the Street Tracker system."

Horatio nodded. "I would also suggest, if it's possible that there be a way for the boy to be able to enter an address from his place in back. You know, in a situation where if he needs to give Mom directions to a friend's house or something of this nature."

"That's actually a good idea, Lt." Miguel looked over at the two younger men. "It can be done, can't it?"

Paco nodded. "Yes, sir, it can. It will just need a longer section of cable to feed into the back of the van."

"Ok, thank you, Paco." Miguel moved Horatio and Eric to another table. "We also wanted your opinion on the paint scheme." He looked down at the paperwork on the table. "We also wanted to know what you thought would be a good 'name' for the van."

Horatio looked confused. "A name? You mean something like 'Stevie's Mean machine'?"

Miguel nodded. "What do you guys think?"

"How about 'Stevie's Wheels?" Eric suggested.

"I realize how badly this will date me." Horatio admitted. "But what about 'the Stevie-mobile'?"

Miguel and Eric looked over at the red head, confused.

Horatio chuckled. "Never mind."

"Actually, H. I like the sound of that." Eric agreed.

"I do, too." Miguel added. "The question becomes, which paint scheme you think he'll like on the outside, flames, sunset, graffiti, or animal stripes?"

"Well, what if we put graffiti letters over sunset or fire colors, in other words, red, orange, and yellow?"

"That actually sounds like a good idea. What do you think, Miguel?" Horatio and Eric both looked over at the man.

"I think it'll work, but let's ask the man who's going to do it." Miguel turned to another man. "What do you think, Rafael?"

"About what, boss?"

Miguel pulled a sheet of paper towards himself, and drew the side view of the van, then turned to the younger man. "What they're thinking, is to paint the words 'the Stevie-mobile' in a graffiti style in front of a Miami sunset. What do you think?" He drew what he was talking about.

"I think that's a great idea, boss. We'll get right on it."

Miguel, Horatio and Eric continued to discuss other aspects of refurbishing the van.

In the meantime, Carlos and Jose moved over to the table where Hector and Paco worked. All four men looked over to observe Horatio and Eric both of whom had turned, so that they were facing away from them.

"Quien se cree este tipo que es?" Jose asked. "Que piensa que puede llegar, tronar los dedos, y que se haga lo que él quiera?" _Who is this guy anyway? That thinks he can just walk in here, snap his fingers, and get something done?_

"Que quieres decir, Jose?" Hector asked. _What do you mean, Jose?_

"Tengan cuidado muchachos. Ambos hablan Español." Paco warned them. _Be careful, guys. They both know Spanish._

"Ese tipo no, miralo, problablemente no sabe la diferencia entre el español y el Griego." Jose argued. _Not this guy. Look at him, he probably doesn't know Spanish from Greek._

"El no es tan estúpido, José." Paco continued to argue. "El es un Teniente de la Policia." _He isn't that stupid, Jose. The man's a Lt with the Police Dept._

"Y? Eso no significa nada." Jose pointed out. _So? That doesn't mean anything._

"Que te hace pensar que no sabe hablar o entender el espanol?" Paco asked. "La  
mayoria de los Americanos, en especial en esta parte del pais aprenden Espanol en la escuela, algunos desde muy pequenos, para poder ayudarnos cuando llegamos aqui por primera vez." _What makes you think he won't speak or understand Spanish? Most Americans, especially in this part of the country are taught in school how to speak Spanish, some at very young ages, so that they can help us when we first come here._

"Es una broma, verdad, Paco?" Carlos asked, incredulous. "Se parece a Ronald McDonald, solo le falta una pelota roja en la punta de la nariz." _You're kidding, right, Paco? He looks like Ronald McDonald. All he needs is a red ball for the end of his nose._

Hector added. "Mi madre dice que también se parece a Howdy Doody." _My Mother told me that he also looks like Howdy Doody._

"No puedo creerlo." Paco was exasperated with his friends. "No tienen remedio, Aunque no conocia al Teniente Caine, yo se que es un hombre de honor. Ha ayudado a nuestra comunidad en el pasado, y eso incluye aprender a hablar Español. El respeta nuetras costumbres, aunque no esté de acuerdo con ellas, y debemos respetarlo también. Además, no me gustaria hacerlo enojar, he oido que es muy duro cuando necesita serlo." _I don't believe this. You guys are hopeless. Although I've never met Lt Caine before, I know that he's an honorable man. He's helped our community in the past, and that included learning to speak Spanish. He respects our ways, even if he may not agree with them, and we should respect him too. Besides, I wouldn't want to make him mad at me, I hear the Lt can be very tough when he needs to be._

When the others scoffed their disbelief, Paco went on to explain.

"Podrian hacerme caso por favor!!" Paco begged. "Yo se de los que estoy hablando." Paco saw that, although they were listening, they weren't completely believing, either. "Ok, se acuerdan, el año pasado cuando el Sr López perdió su tienda? Bueno, yo vivo cerca de ahí, y tomo varios dias limpiar ese desastre. El dia que el Sr López salió del Hospital, el teniente Caine fue a recogerlo y lo llevó a la tienda. Ellos dos y otro mas se quedaron para ayudar a limpiar y el teniente trajo un nuevo letrero para el frente de la tienda. El ayudo mucho al Sr López, De verdad le importa." _Will you guys please listen to me!! I know what I'm talking about. Ok. Do you remember last year when Mr Lopez lost his store? Well, I live near there, and it took days to clean up that mess. On the day that Mr Lopez was bring released from the hospital, Lt Caine went to get him and bring him back to the store. Both of these men and another man stayed to help clean up and Lt Caine brought out a replacement sign for the front of the store, above the window. He helped Mr Lopez out a lot. He really does care._

"Esto suena a que Paco tiene un Papacito Chulo." Jose teased, as he poked Carlos and Hector both. _That sounds like Paco has a 'Papi chulo'._

The three men laughed as Paco scowled at them. He threw up his hands in the air, then walked away, disgusted.

Horatio, Miguel, and Eric had heard the entire conversation.

"I'll be right back." Horatio told them.

"Be careful, H." Eric warned him.

Horatio winked at him. "I'm always careful, Eric."

"Uh huh." Eric replied sarcastically, as he watched Horatio walk over to the three Hispanic men.

"Caballeros, me parece que debieran escuchar a su joven amigo." Horatio pointed towards Paco, and continued in Spanish. "Como referencia para el futuro, la próxima vez que deseen hablar a espaldas de alguien, asegurense que no entienda lo que están diciendo." He pinched a lock of his own hair and held it up. "Por cierto, esto es color de cabello es peirrojo, y sí, es mi color natural. Puedo conceder que ya me han llamado Howdy Doody antes, Ronald McDonald es nuevo, aun para mi." The steel doors dropped behind his blue eyes, and his voice dropped into the 'Danger Zone'. "Si ustedes tres 'hombrecitos' desean hacer algun otro comentario inteligente, agradeceria que lo dirigieran directamente hacia mi, Nos entendemos jovenes?" _Gentlemen. You may want to listen to your young friend. For future reference, when you want to talk about someone behind their back, you may want to make absolutely certain that they don't understand what you're saying. By the way, this is ginger red, and yes, it's my natural color. I'll admit to being referred to as Howdy Doody before, but the Ronald McDonald is a new one, even for me. Should the three of you 'men' fell so inclined to make any more snappy comments, I'd greatly appreciate it, if you'd make them directly to me. Do we understand each other?_

Jose, Hector, and Carlos each in turn, quickly picked their jaws up off the floor, then replied. "Si….señor……entendemos." _Yes…..sir…..We do._

"Gracias." Horatio walked back toward Eric, when Miguel took his place in front of the men. _Thank you._

"I want the three of you to drop what you're doing and go inside. Find Fernando, Angelo, and Diego and have them come out here. I will also only say this one time. If you ever think about embarrassing me like that again, all three of you will find yourselves out of jobs. Now get out of here, before I change my mind."

Miguel walked back over toward Horatio and Eric. "I don't believe they did that. I truly am quite embarrassed and very sorry that happened."

Horatio quirked a grin. "It's alright, Miguel. You would be surprised by the number of people who assume that I don't understand, much less speak the language."

Miguel chuckled. "I can only imagine." Miguel walked over to Horatio and patted him heavily on the shoulder.

Eric, who had been standing slightly behind Horatio, noticed that the red head visibly flinched from it. Before he had the chance to say anything to Horatio, Miguel maneuvered them toward the door.

The three men noticed Det Montoya laying on the floor, working on the underside of the van.

"Is there a problem, Det?" Horatio asked.

The man quickly blinked back to the here and now. "No, sir. There's nothing wrong."

"That's good." Horatio commented, then turned to Miguel. "How's he doing Miguel? Any problems?"

"Not a one, Lt. In fact, if I though I had a chance, I'd try to spirit him away. He definitely knows his cars.

"That's good."

"How's the boy doing, Lt? Is he doing any better?" Montoya asked.

"He's doing a little better. The Dr removed him from the Critical List just this morning, actually."

"That's good to hear." Montoya observed.

"Yes, it is." Horatio agreed then walked over toward the younger man. "Paco?"

"Si, Señor?" The younger man looked up from his work. _Yes, sir?_

"Nos hemos visto antes?" Horatio asked. _Have we met somewhere before?_

"No lo creo Teniente, Creo que recodaria a alguien como usted." Paco told the man. _I don't think so, Lt. I think I would remember someone like you._

Horatio's eyebrow climbed into his hair. "No hablamos cuando estuvimos trabajando en La Tienda?" _We didn't talk when we were working at that Tienda?_

"No, señor, estabamos muy ocupados ayundando al Señor López." _No, sir. We were too busy helping Señor Lopez clean up the mess._

Horatio cracked a grin. "Así es, mi joven amigo, así es." His mind instantly supplied the surprised expression on Mr Lopez's face when he, Eric, and Frank brought out the new sign. "Tu familia y tu llevan mucho tiempo aqui?" _That we were, young man, that we were. Have you and your family been here long?_

Paco smiled and nodded as he switched to English. "Yes, sir. My parents were 'Dry Foot'ers and my brothers and sisters and I were all born here."

Horatio nodded as he pulled out one of his business cards and tentatively offered it to the Cuban young man. "Here is one of my cards. If you or your family need help with anything, please, give me a call."

"Yes, sir. Thank you." Paco put the card in his pocket.

When Eric walked past, he cracked a grin at the younger man and nodded slightly, then followed Horatio and Miguel out to the Hummer.

"Thanks for coming by, gentlemen. We'll get started straight away."

Horatio and Eric climbed into the Hummer.

"If you have any other questions, or need any other help, don't hesitate to call, ok, Miguel?"

"Don't worry, we'll let you know." Miguel promised.

"Bye." Horatio replied. He and Eric waved as they drove off.

After they had been driving for awhile, Eric started chuckling, then broke into laughter.

Horatio looked over at the younger man in confusion.

"You should have seen those guys' faces, H, when you started off in Spanish. It was priceless!!"

Horatio smirked for a moment, then he chuckled as well. "It was kind of funny, wasn't it?"

Eric nodded, with a grin. "Yes, it was."

"Yeah, well. I couldn't resist, listening to them behind my back, and Paco doing everything to defend me, even though he had never met me. Then when they said what they did to him, I couldn't let it go on anymore."

"I know, H. That's you, though. You wouldn't have let it go on too much more."

"Let's head back to the lab."


	71. Chapter 71

Chapter 71

In the meantime, Paula was working at the Reception Desk, sorting through some paper work intended for Lt Caine.

Ryan walked up. "Hey there, Paula. Do I have any messages?"

She looked up. "Oh, hey, there, Ryan." She turned to her message log. "Nope, sorry. No messages."

He nodded. "That's fine. Has a fax come in for the boss from a Dr Fitzgerald."

The fax machine started to print something.

Ryan and Paula shared a mutual smile.

"Speak of the devil." Ryan snarked.

The fax machine finished printing the transmission, and Paula pulled the three pages out of the 'Out' tray, and handed them to Ryan.

Ryan read the top page, then looked up at Paula. "This is it. Thanks a lot, Paula." As he walked away, to make his way to the break room, he read the list of physical therapists that Dr Fitzgerald had send. One of the names leapt out at him. "So, that's where you've been keeping yourself, you rotten bum." He commented to the list. "You have just made things a hundred times easier. Wait until I show H." He went into the break room, knowing that the decision of which therapist to choose had just been made infinitely  
easier.

Horatio pulled the Hummer into the parking lot, and parked in his assigned space. He and Eric got out of the vehicle, as Eric asked out loud. "Well, I wonder what has happened?"

As they walked toward the crime lab building, Horatio corrected the sentiment. "I'm just hoping the fax has come in from Dr Fitzgerald. Depending on how many names will be on that list, there's going to be a lot of research to do."

They walk into the building, and stepped up to the elevators. Horatio pressed the call button.

Eric asked. "You mean if anybody has any kind of criminal record?"

"That too, but also if anybody has any kind of connection to Stevie's bad luck, or the robbery."

They rode the elevator up, and when it got to their level, they stepped off the elevator, and moved toward the Reception Desk, just as Ryan walked out of the break room.

"H!! Eric!!" He hurried over to the red head. "I'm glad you two are back. Look at this, H. I've got the best candidate for Stevie's new physical therapist." He passed the list to Horatio

Horatio shared an amused grin with Eric as he briefly looked down at the list. He looked over at Ryan. "Slow down, Mr Wolfe." Horatio pointed to the list. "I take it this name is special for some reason."

"It is, H." Ryan confirmed. "I got the fax from Paula so that I could get started running backgrounds on everyone when I noticed Ernie's name on the list. Ernie is a friend of mine from College. We've known each other for a long time."

"Very good. It sounds like we have our man." Horatio looked over at Eric, who nodded, then turned back to Ryan. "Do me a favor, please, Mr Wolfe, and call him."

Ryan pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number, then put the device to his ear. After a moment, the phone was answered on the other end.

Ernie noticed that his Caller ID displayed 'Ryan'. "Hey, Ry. What's up?"

"Not much. Exactly when were you going to tell me you worked at University Medical Center?"

Ernie's confusion could easily be heard. "I didn't realize it was important that you knew."

"Sorry about that, buddy. I have this young friend who is in need of your help."

"Ok. Which young friend, and what kind of help?"

"I'll tell you what, you rotten bum, can you come by the lab, let's say around 2:30pm?"

"Let's make it 3pm." Ernie suggested instead.

Ryan looked at Horatio. "3pm?"

Horatio nodded.

Ryan turned back to his phone. "Sure. 3's fine. We'll see you then."

"Yup. Bye."

Both young men hung up, then Ryan turned to Horatio.

"He said he'll be by around 3."

"That's fine. Thank you, Mr Wolfe. I'm going to want you to make the initial introductions."

Ryan nodded. "No problem, H."

"Thank you, sir." Horatio replied, as the three men went their separate ways.

Horatio went up to his office. After he signed off on some of the case files in his 'In' box, he accessed his computer. He logged in to the AFIS database and, and entered in Ernie's information, then pressed 'Enter'. After a few seconds, the screen displayed 'No Information Available.'

Ok, so, no criminal record, or at least not one where he's been caught at anything. He thought.

He also accessed IBIS and repeated his search. This time, they system displayed the information for 4 firearms. The list of firearms registered to the younger man surprised him. All were antiques, 2 old west style and 2 18th Century muzzleloaders.

Horatio made a mental note to ask the man about them. He logged off his computer, and stood up. He grabbed his jacket, and walked toward the door of his office. As he left, he locked the door behind him, and as he walked down the stairs, he put his jacket back on. He walked over to Reception, and asked. "Paula, have you seen Calleigh recently?"

Paula thought for a moment, then told him. "The last I saw of her, she said she was going to be in the Testing Range for awhile."

Suddenly, the sound of gunfire was heard.

Horatio smiled at Paula. "I think I've just found her, Paula. Thank you, Ma'am." He walked around to the door of the Ballistics lab, and went in, then into the Testing Range. He stopped just inside the door, and leaned against the door jam, and folded his arms across his chest.

When she was done, Calleigh took off both her eye, and ear protection. "Hey, Handsome. Did you need something?"

"Only my daily dose of you." He walked over to her, and leaned in, wordlessly asking for a kiss.

Calleigh was more than happy to oblige him, and stood on her tiptoes.

They broke the kiss quickly, remembering where they were.

Once he had his breath back, he asked. "I was also wondering, if perhaps I could interest you in some lunch. There's a new sandwich place just down the block, and I was thinking we might check it out."

"That sounds like a good idea, Handsome. Give me just a minute, and we'll get out of here." She told him.

The new restaurant was within walking distance, and as they made their way towards it, Horatio told her. "I got the list of Physical Therapists from Dr Fitzgerald."

She looked up at him, and noticed the quirk of a grin. "Ok?"

He chuckled. "Apparently, one of Mr Wolfe's friends is a PT over at the hospital. He's coming over at 3 o'clock, and I was wondering if you wanted to be there for the interview?"

They arrived at the restaurant, and Horatio opened the door, letting her go in first.

"Absolutely." She walked in, and Horatio followed her.

They stood in line, and placed their order, when it became their turn. Horatio paid for their meal, and they sat at a table overlooking the patio out front.

As they ate their lunch, Horatio pulled out the printout from IBIS and passed it across the table. "What do you make of this, Cal?"

Calleigh wiped her hands on her napkin, then picked up the printout. "Ok. That's an interesting group of weapons." She looked up at the red head. "This was the only thing you found?"

Horatio nodded. "That was all. What do you suppose it means?"

She shrugged. "I'm not sure, Handsome." Calleigh thought she heard giggling from behind him. She attempted to ignore the giggling, as she told him. "If he's keeping them just as collector's pieces, then you'd think he wouldn't fire them, but why register them officially if you had no intention of firing them?"

Her musings were cut short by the ringing of his cell phone.

Horatio put down his sandwich and wiped his hands on his napkin, then quickly pulled out his cell phone. He looked at the Caller ID. "It's Frank." He opened his phone with his thumb and put the device to his ear. "Hey, there, Francis. What have you got for me?"

"I'm bringing in those kids that worked you over."

"Very good. I'll be back momentarily." Horatio closed his phone. He looked over at Calleigh. "I hate to cut this short, Beautiful, but we have to go back."

Calleigh nodded. "No problem, Handsome." Again, she thought she heard giggling. Again, she ignored it, as she told him. "Let's get lunch to go and we can finish it back at the lab."

Calleigh got up and went to the counter. She asked for a 'to go' bag and the young man behind the counter gave her one. As she turned to walk back to their table, she saw two young women sitting at the table directly behind Horatio. They were signing back and forth like crazy. With the direction they were signing, as well as some of the signs that they were using that Calleigh understood, it was easy to see that Horatio was the subject of conversation.

Calleigh sat down at their table, with a grin.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"I'll tell you later, Handsome." She replied. This time, there was no mistaking the giggling.  
They packed their lunches away and Horatio cleaned up the table and tossed their trash in the garbage.

Horatio picked up the bag, and his soda, and walked toward the door. He stopped and looked over his shoulder when he sensed that she wasn't behind him.

Calleigh had stopped at the table where the two women were sitting. She sat her soda cup on the table. [You're right, ladies. He is a hunk, and yes, that's part of the reason I call him 'Handsome'.] She signed to the two women.

Horatio watched their interactions. As it occurred to him that he was the subject of the conversation, he slowly became uncomfortable with the obviously candid, interested looks that were being sent his direction.

The women laughed at his embarrassment.

[That's the other reason.] Calleigh admitted as she chuckled. [He's just so cute when he's embarrassed, or uncomfortable, like that.]

[Yes, he is. What's his name?]

[Horatio Caine.] Calleigh admitted.

[Lt Horatio Caine? With the police dept? That Lt Caine?]

Calleigh smiled. [Yes, ma'am, that Lt Caine.]

[So, that's what he looks like. He's so much more handsome in person.]

[Yes, he is.] Calleigh agreed. [I'm sorry, ladies, we have to get back to the lab.]

[Ok. It was nice to have met you.]

[You, too. Take Care.] Calleigh replied as she picked up her soda and made her way back over to Horatio.

He held the door open for her, and as Calleigh walked out ahead of him, he asked.

"You 'overheard' them?"

Calleigh nodded. "One of my neighbors is deaf and her teenage daughter is teaching me sign language."

Horatio nodded. "I see. When did you realize they were talking about us?"

She chuckled. "When I got up to get the bag, I saw them signing back and forth. Before that, though, I heard giggling every time I called you 'Handsome'."

Horatio chuckled. "Here I thought I was loosing what was left of my mind."

They laughed together as they climbed the short set of stairs in front of the lab, then walked into the building.

"Do you mind if I observe?" She asked as they stepped into the elevator.

He shook his head. "Nope. In fact, if you think of anything I need to ask, text me, or call me."

"Sure."

He raced up the stairs and put his soda and lunch on his desk. He then retraced his steps, down the stairs, to catch up with Calleigh. "Here's what's left of your lunch, Beautiful."

She took the bag from him. "Thank you, Handsome." She quickly moved to put her lunch on her desk in the Ballistics lab, then went back to Interrogation.


	72. Chapter 72

Hey, there, gang.

I wanted to apologize for the long delay in posting my next chapter for you. RL got very complicated for me recently, and I've just gotten to the point where I think I can take a breath, and have some time for myself. Meds had to be readjusted, and I recently found out that I was loosing my job as of 4-15-09, which did in fact happen. I have several applications in to various companies around town, and now, I'm just waiting to hear back from somebody. Hopefully it won't be too long.

In the meantime, here is Chapter 72. Please enjoy. Here we go.

********************

Chapter 72

All three of the young men were white. Two were blonde, and the third had light brown hair. One of the blonde's and the brunette were the two men that had held on to Horatio when the other man had been hitting Horatio with the bat, the one's that he had scratched. The other blonde was the apparent ring leader, and had been the owner of the hair that had been found on Horatio's jacket.

All three of the young men were college students. They, along with Diana Weller, all attended University of Miami.

Horatio and Calleigh stood in the hallway, observing all four young people, when Frank walked up to them.

"Who's the lucky one to be first, H?"

Horatio looked from one to the other for a moment, then pointed to the blonde young man that had held on to him. "He'll be first, Frank. Young Ian Tanner."

Horatio walked toward the Interrogation room, and opened the door.

The younger man looked up at the door opening, and his jaw dropped when he noticed that it was the man they had worked over.

"What are you doing here? How did you get in here?" Ian asked.

Horatio's eyebrows climbed into his hair. "I belong here. I told you guys yesterday, before you worked me over, that I was a Police officer. What, you didn't believe me?" Horatio pulled off his badge and ID, and pushed them across the table at the younger man.

Ian picked them up, and looked them over, then looked up at the red head. It took him a minute for his brain to register what his eyes were seeing, and when he did, he went as white as a ghost. "Oh, my god." Ian whispered to himself.

Horatio, although amused at the younger man's reaction, attempted to keep his expression neutral. "You're trying to tell me that you didn't know that I was a Police Officer, or that you didn't believe it when I told you that I was?" Horatio asked.

"She said that you would claim that you were a cop, but to ignore it." Ian admitted.

"She?" Frank asked before Horatio had the chance to.

Ian nodded. "Yeah. Diana."

"How do you know Diana, Ian." Horatio asked.

"She's a friend from school." The younger man admitted.

"Do you hang out together, or do anything away from school?" Horatio asked.

"Sometimes." The younger man admitted.

"Is that how she picked the four of you to help her work me over?" Horatio asked, trying to move the interrogation forward.

"Partially. We all know each other from school."

Horatio traded a look with Frank. "Ok. Ian, who was the fourth guy, the one with the bat?"

The younger man immediately began shaking his head. "Oh, no, you don't. I'm not going to be the group snitch."

"Ian, if you need to talk to a lawyer, I can get you one, but let me explain something to you. The four of you are going to go to jail, ok? My friends found me unconscious yesterday after you left. They brought me back here and checked me out. Do you remember when I scratched you and Cory Lancaster?"

Ian nodded.

"I had some of your skin cells, and Cory's under my fingernails, and one of my friends found one of Brad's hairs on my jacket. With Diana already accounted for, that only leaves the guy hitting me with the bat. If you tell me who that was, I will probably be able to get some of your sentence reduced. It's only a matter of time before I found out who that was. And why me. Save yourself some jail time. Tell me what I want to know, and I'll be able to get your sentence reduced."

The younger man looked down at his hands for a long moment, then slowly nodded. "The dude's name is Max Brumfield."

"Is he also one of the gang from school?"

Ian nodded. "We all have two of our classes together."

Horatio nodded. "How did the group of you plan to work me over?"

Ian sighed. "Diana said that her uncle knew you, and that he wanted us to work you over as part of a joke, a lesson."

Horatio looked out the window, for a moment, then turned back to the younger man. "A joke? What kind of lesson was I supposed to learn?"

Ian shrugged. "I'm not sure. All Diana said was something about choosing friends, and cementing alliances more carefully."

Each of the other three men told a similar story.

Horatio stood in the hallway with Calleigh and Frank "What do you think?"

"I'm not quite sure what to think, Handsome."

"It's all still pointing to Stevie, Sweetheart. None of this was happening until it became known that I had any kind of interest in Stevie, and that didn't start happening until we arrested the men from Winter's Construction. Maybe Stan was able to get in contact with some of the men we let go?"

"That's possible. We didn't think to tell them not to say anything to anyone. Sorry about that, H."

"Not to worry, Frank. None of us thought anything about it. Let's go see how quickly we can rattle her cage."

"Let's go." Frank agreed.

"I'm going to wait out here." Calleigh reminded the men.

"That's fine, sweetheart. If you think of anything I need to ask her, text me, or call me, ok?"


	73. Chapter 73

Chapter 73

Calleigh stayed out in the hallway to 'observe', as Horatio and Frank opened the door and walked in to the interrogation room.

She noticed that, although the younger woman looked up at the door opening, that Diana didn't look surprised when Horatio walked into the Interrogation Room.

Horatio sat across the table from Diana and Frank stood against the wall, next to the door. He pulled out his notebook from his inner coat pocket and opened it to a blank page.

Horatio looked over at Diana for a long moment, then asked. "You are related to Stan Miller, aren't you?"

She nodded.

"How?"

"He's my Mom's older brother, my Uncle."

"Did your Uncle say why he wanted me off the Douglas case?"

Diana shook her head. "He didn't. It was my idea."

"No, it wasn't, Diana." Horatio shook his head. His voice inched towards the 'Danger Zone'. "You're not the master mind." His tone left no room for debate. "Did your Uncle say why he wanted me off the Douglas case?"

The young woman shook her head. "No. All he said was that the kid needed to learn some sort of lesson about the value of friends and family."

Frank traded confused looks with Horatio, then watched as Horatio's face grew cloudy.

"That's not a lesson Stevie needs to learn." Horatio mumbled, mostly to himself, as he stared off into space. He turned back to look over at Diana and asked. "Did anything unusual, or out of the ordinary happen about two years ago?"

Now, it was Diana's turn to look confused at the two men. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"

"I mean did he come home mad, or upset, or unusually happy from work?"

Diana thought about it for a long minute, then replied.

"Now that you mention it, I seem to remember one night, Uncle Stan did come over highly upset over something. When my Mom asked him about it, Uncle Stan said something about that one of the boys had gotten into trouble at work."

That had Horatio's attention. "When you say 'the boys', who do you mean? One of his sons, or who?"

Diana nodded. "Yes, sir. One of his sons. About six months, roughly, before all of this happened, he had got one of his sons, one of my cousins, a job at the lab."

Horatio and Frank shared a knowing look.

"Which one of your cousins was it?" Frank asked.

"It was his oldest son, Jordan." Diana admitted.

"Did your Uncle say anything about what happened at the lab?"

She shook her head. "No, sir, he didn't. All he did say was that Jordan apparently goofed pretty big. He didn't say what Jordan had done, but what ever it was, Uncle Stan was as mad as I think I'd ever seen him get."

Horatio felt his phone vibrate. "Excuse me." He opened his phone and saw the text message from Calleigh. _Ask her where in the lab her cousin worked._

Horatio looked up in surprise, and toward the one way glass at her for a moment, then turned back to Diana, and repeated Calleigh's question. "What part of the lab did your cousin work in?"

She thought for a moment, then replied "I'm not sure. I think he worked in either the Diamond lab or the Emerald lab."

Horatio traded looks with Frank, then looked back to the young woman "Diana, do you mean that he worked in the lab where the gems were made?"

She nodded. "I'm not sure, but, yes, I think so. Why?"

Horatio sat there for a moment, just staring off into space, out the window.

Frank looked over at the red head. "H?"

Suddenly, Horatio blinked back to the here and now. "Do me a favor, Frank, and take her statement, then go ahead and book her for Assault on a Police Officer, and Conspiracy to Commit Assault, then come find me, when your done. I'll probably be in my office, but come find me, ok?"

"I'm on it, H."

"Thank you, sir." Horatio got up, and walked out the door. He noticed Calleigh's confused look.

She looked up at him as he approached her. "What are you thinking, Handsome?"

Horatio quirked a grin, then told her. "I'm thinking that all those raw gems would be a heck of a temptation, even for someone who was wealthy to begin with."

Frank approached the two, just as Calleigh caught on to where Horatio was going.

"You're thinking some kind of heist?"

Horatio shook his head. "I'm thinking some kind of attempted heist, one that went wrong, somewhere." He turned to Frank. "See what you find on the name 'Jordan Miller', please Frank?"

"Sure thing, H. I'm on it." Frank told him, then turned and walked away.


	74. Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Just before 3pm, a 20 something young man, Caucasian, with shoulder length light brown hair in a pony tail stepped off the elevator, and walked over to Reception Desk. "Hi." He greeted Paula. "I'm here to see Ryan Wolfe. Is he here, by any chance?"

Paula smiled. "Yes, sir he is. Who do I tell him is here to see him?"

The young man smiled. "Ernie, please?"

Paula motioned towards the chairs against the wall. "Please take a seat over there, and I'll tell him you're here."

"Thank you." Ernie replied, then turned, and walked over towards the chairs, then took a seat to wait.

He didn't have to wait very long. Ryan hurried out of one of the labs.

"Ernie!"

He stood up and met his friend with his hand held out. "Hey, there, Ryan. What's going on?"

Ryan shook his friend's hand. "Not much. Thanks for agreeing to meet with us."

"No problem." Ernie returned the handshake. "What was it you needed to talk about?"

"Hold on a minute." Ryan reached for his phone and speed dialed someone, then put the device to his ear.

"Horatio."

"Hey, H. Ernie's here. Where are you?"

"I'm in my office, Mr Wolfe." Horatio told him. "Please bring Ernie up here."

"We're on our way, H." Ryan put his phone away and motioned his friend to follow him.

Ryan led the way up the stairs and around the corner. As they approached H's office, both young men noticed the crowd inside.

Ryan moved to open the door, and Ernie grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"What's going on Ry?"

Ryan grinned. "We're all friends of the young man I was telling you about that needs your help. Don't worry, Ernie. They don't bite, much." Ryan winked at him.

"Uh, huh." Was all Ernie would say to that.

Ryan chuckled as he opened the door.

Horatio stood up and walked around his desk.

"H, this is my buddy, Ernie." Ryan added, to Ernie. "Ernie, this is my boss, Lt Horatio Caine."

Ernie shook hands with Horatio as he told the man. "It's my pleasure to finally meet you, Lt. I've heard quite a bit about you."

Horatio shook the younger man's hand in return, as he looked down at the floor. "Don't believe everything you hear."

Ryan continued the introductions, ending with Calleigh, explaining that she was the youngster's adopted Aunt/Godmother.

Ernie nodded, as he sat in the chair across from Horatio. "Which youngster is it we are talking about here?"

Horatio looked over at Ryan, who nodded. "What do you know about Stevie Douglas?"

"Stevie Douglas? That's who we're talking about?" Ernie asked incredulously, his eyebrows climbing into his hair. After a moment, Ernie commented, softly, almost to himself. "I wondered when someone would say something."

The group traded confused looks.

"What are you talking about Ernie?" Ryan asked his friend.

Ernie thought about it for a minute, then explained. "Shortly after Stevie had regained consciousness from his coma, I overheard him and Dennis in what I'm going to call a 'heated debate'. When I approached Mrs Menendez about it, I was told, very pointedly, to mind my own business."

The team traded concerned looks.

"What do you think of Dennis?" Horatio asked.

Ernie chuckled softly. "I'm not entirely sure exactly what to make of him, Lt. I mean, I get along just fine with him, but I don't have a spinal cord injury and I'm not dependent on him to teach me how to live with it."

Horatio looked over at Ernie. "That's an interesting concept. Do you really think that it can be lived with and not as an obstacle to work around?"

"Yes, sir, absolutely. From what I can tell, Stevie isn't as severely paralyzed as he could be. I will grant you that any paralysis is life altering, but his is not as serious as it could have been. The few times I've seen Stevie, he strikes me as the type of person who will work his hardest to be as independent as possible."

The team traded smiles.

Calleigh nodded. "Stevie is exactly like that, Ernie."

Horatio also nodded. "Normally that would not be a problem, however, recently there was an incident. Stevie and his mother were going out. There was a robbery nearby and the robbers stole Stevie's van and used it as the getaway car. They dumped Stevie out of the van and he landed on some broken glass. Needless to say, it cut him up pretty badly, and he developed an infection relatively quickly that ran rampant through his little body.

"Dr Fitzgerald says that the infection is starting to go away. As soon as he gives us the word, we're going to ease Stevie into the pool and the gym as gently as possible, but we may have to reign Stevie's horses in."

The group laughed at Horatio's attempt at a joke.

Just as Ernie started to say something, the phone on Horatio's desk rang. They looked at each other, for a moment, then looked at the phone.


	75. Chapter 75

Chapter 75

Horatio leaned over and pressed a button on the phone. "Horatio."

"Lt." Paula's voice came over the speaker. "I'm sorry to interrupt. There is a Doctor Fitzgerald for you on line 1."

"That's fine, Paula, thank you. I'll take it, ma'am."

"Yes, sir." Paula disconnected her part of the call.

Horatio pressed a different button on the phone. "Dr Fitzgerald? This is Horatio Caine. What can I do for you?"

"Yes, Lt. I wanted to bring you all up to date on Stevie's progress."

That got everyone's attention.

"We're listening, Doctor."

"That last cleansing treatment did the trick. Stevie's white blood cell count is almost back up to where it should be. I have two conditions, but I am going to release him to go back in the pool and the gym."

The group heard Stevie as he celebrated.

"Yeah! Wooohoooo!" The youngster clapped.

The team also celebrated.

After a few minutes, the celebration on the other end slowly died down.

"Dr Fitzgerald, what kind of conditions were you going to require?" Horatio asked.

"Well, one, that you wait another day before you jump into the pool, and two, that, especially with the pool, you allow me to check bandages and incisions, etc, just to make sure that everything stays status quo."

"We can do that, can't we, Stevie?" Horatio asked the youngster.

"Sure." The youngster agreed quickly.

"Dr Fitzgerald, I also wanted to tell you that we have found a replacement physical therapist for Stevie."

"Ok. Who?" Fitzgerald wanted to know.

"Ernie."

"That's ok, Dr Fitz." Stevie's voice came over the speaker. "If it's the person I'm thinking, I'm pretty sure I've met Ernie before."

"You'll be fine, Stevie." Ryan told the youngster. "Ernie's a friend of mine, and we've been friends for a long time."

"So, no danger of him not fitting in with our motley crew?"

Ryan laughed. "No, Stevie. There's no danger of that. In fact, we would probably vote him President."

Stevie also laughed. "We probably would Mr Ryan." His tutor, Kelly, walked in to the room just then. "I've got to go, Gang. Kelly's here from school."

"That's fine, Stevie. Concentrate on your schoolwork, and we'll talk to you later." Horatio told him.

"Ok, H. I'll see you guys later."

Dr Fitzgerald hung up his phone, just before Horatio pressed a button on his disk phone, ending the call.

Ernie chuckled. "We have got our hands full, don't we?"

Horatio also chuckled. "We certainly do." He pulled the folded sheet of paper from his inner coat pocket, and unfolded it. "I also wanted to ask you about this, Ernie." He passed the sheet of paper across his desk.

Ernie turned the sheet of paper around, and looked at it. After a few minutes, he looked back up at Horatio. "Ok, what about it, Lt? Yes, I do own those weapons, and yes, I do have them registered, just in case, Heaven forbid, anything should ever happen."

Before Horatio had the opportunity to answer the young man, Calleigh beat him to the question. "Why those particular weapons, Ernie? Is there something special about them?"

Ernie thought about it for a moment, and realized what she was talking about. He chuckled, then asked. "You mean why a muzzle loading pistol, a replica Hawken muzzle loading rifle, a Colt Single Action Revolver, and an 1866 Winchester rifle?" When the group nodded, Ernie chuckled, then went on to explain. "I like the feel of working with the old style guns, but my primary reason is that I'm a Living History Reenactor. I work with two different groups. One is a Old West town group that does shootouts and things of this nature. To show what town life was like post Civil War, up to approximately 1875. The other group that I work with is dedicated to the French and Indian war period to approximately just before the Revolution, so approximately 1750 to 1776."

The team nodded their understanding.

"Wow. That's impressive. Do you have a favorite one that you prefer to do?" Alexx asked.

Ernie shook his head. "I like them both for pretty much the same reasons, Dr Woods. They both allow me to escape our complicated 21 Century life for the weekend. Sometimes we go hunting with our muzzleloaders, and other times we work on our quick draw contests. Other times, we just do research on our characters, and 'fine tune' our 'acts'."

"That sounds an awful lot like work." Eric remarked.

Ernie shook his head. "It may sound like it, Eric, but it's not. It can be really interesting sometimes."

"I can imagine." Horatio agreed. He stood up and walked around his desk, as he held his hand out to the younger man. "Thanks for coming by, Ernie. Will you be going back to the Hospital today?"

Ernie shook the man's hand, as he told Horatio. "Yes, I will. I'm going to want to introduce myself to Dr Fitzgerald, since it sounded like he didn't quite know who I was. I want to meet Stevie, too. There's a couple of tests that I want to do with him, just to see what he can do for himself at this point. Just for comparison's sake, later."

"I understand." Horatio told him. "Please hold off on introducing yourself to Stevie, until we're there, though." At Ernie's confused look, Horatio explained. "Stevie doesn't trust too many people due to his experiences with Dennis. We want to prove to him that we are comfortable with you as his therapist, and that we trust you."

Ernie nodded. "I was actually going to ask you guys to come in with him, at least for the first few days, so that he would be more comfortable with me, so that's not a problem, Lt. I'll be in the hospital later on today. Just page me, and I can be right there."

Ryan opened the door to Horatio's office, and led Ernie down the stairs, to the elevator. As they waited, he turned to his friend. "Thanks again for coming by Ernie. We really needed to find Stevie a new therapist, and when I saw your name on the list, I just knew you were the one."

"It's not a problem, Ry. I'm more than willing to help out. Dennis was the exception rather than the rule, and Stevie needs to know that. He'll be fine."

"I know." Ryan admitted. "You and H will show him."

Ernie shook his head. "No. We'll all show him together."

The elevator 'dinged' at that moment, and the door opened. Ernie stepped into the car, and waved bye to his friend, then pressed a button on the control panel that closed the door, and took him down to the first floor.

Ryan raced back up the stairs and went into Horatio's office.


	76. Chapter 76

Chapter 76

"Ok. What have you got for me, Frank?" Horatio looked up at the Texan.

Frank passed a file to Horatio. "The mystery's not getting any clearer, H. Of the four Jordan Millers in the system, there was only one that had been convicted of Attempted Robbery."

Horatio opened the file and began reading.

Ryan walked in just then and heard the last of Frank's statement. "Does the file say where the robbery was attempted?"

Horatio nodded. "Yes, it does, Mr Wolfe, and yes, it was attempted at the Lab. It also says that there were others in the gang that made the attempt at a robbery, but the file does not give any names." Horatio looked up at Frank. "Why isn't there any specifics in this file, Frank. It only gives the general outline of the crime, no specifics."

Frank nodded, then wiped his finger across his upper lip. "I noticed that, too, Horatio. It appears to have been sealed, but I can't tell by who."

Horatio turned to his computer, and laid the file on his desk. He logged in to AFIS and brought up the file. With his security clearance, he was able to see more of the file, than Frank had been, but it just brought with it more questions than answers. He stared at the computer screen for several minutes, trying to get his mind to wrap around the idea that Megan and Adele would seal a file, together. "Here's what I need for you to do, Mr Wolfe. I need for you to search on the date of the robbery, see how many others may have been involved, if they were convicted, and how long they served, if you can. Eric, according to this, young Mr Miller spent some time at the Miami Dade Minimum Security Correctional Facility, however, it doesn't say for how long, or for how long his probation was, or anything. Do me a favor, and run out there, and see what you can find out, if anything. If he's still there, try to talk to him. See if he'll shed any more light on this mystery for us, will you, please?"

Both younger men looked at each other, briefly, then turned back to Horatio.

"Sure thing, H." Eric replied.

"Yeah. We're on it, H." Ryan agreed.

As they moved toward the door, Horatio told them. "Thank you, gentlemen."

Eric closed the door behind himself, and walked with Ryan down the stairs. At the bottom of the stairs, Eric looked over at Ryan. "Good luck."

"You, too. Be careful." Ryan told him.

Eric walked over to the elevator, as Ryan made his way toward the lab.

Hours later, Horatio opened the door.

"What do you have for me, Mr Wolfe?"

Ryan jumped at the noise, and looked up. "I'm sorry, H, but I don't have much, yet. I am still working on it, though. Of the 10 arrests that happened on that date, 5 don't have anything to do with this, but the other 5 all happened at the lab. One of them was, in fact, Jordan Miller. I'm still working on the other 4, thought."

"That's fine, Mr Wolfe." Horatio replied. He thought about it for a minute, then suggested. "Put that to the side for a minute, and come with us to the hospital." At Ryan's confused look, Horatio explained "Since Ernie is your friend, I thought you'd like to be the person to introduce them."

Ryan nodded. "Sure, H. I can do that. Give me just a minute, and I'll be right there."

The red head nodded, and turned and walked out of the room.

In the meantime, Eric drove out to the Miami Dade Minimum Security Correctional Facility, and walked in to the Administrative wing of the facility. He walked down the hall until he came to an office labeled 'Warden' and a secretary in the front lobby.

"Can I help you?" The blonde woman asked when she looked up.

"Yes, I'd like to see the Warden, please?" Eric asked.

"Yes, sir. May I tell him who wishes to see him?"

"Yes, ma'am. Detective Eric Delko from Miami Dade CSI."

"Yes, sir." She picked up the phone, and pressed a button. "Yes, sir. Detective Eric Delko, from Miami Dade CSI is here to see you." She listened for a moment, then replied. "Yes, sir." She put the handset back down on the phone, then looked up at Eric. "Please go right in, Detective."

Eric cracked a grin as he nodded to her. "Thank you, ma'am." He walked over to the door, and knocked.

The door opened to an African American man, just about Eric's height. "Detective Delko?"

Eric nodded wordlessly.

The man stepped aside, and opened the door wider. "Please come in."

"Thank you, Warden." Eric walked in and took the offered seat across the desk, as the other man closed the door, and took the seat behind the desk.

"What can I do for Miami's Finest, today, Detective?"

"Well, Warden, you had an inmate by the name of Jordan Miller, however the computer file is incomplete. We want to know if he's still here, or if he's been released." Eric explained. "If he's still here, I'd like the opportunity to speak with him, if I may. If he's not here, we need to know if he was paroled, who his P.O. is, and, more importantly, why his file was never updated."

The African American man looked puzzled. "His file should have been updated, Detective. I can't explain why it was not. Let me take a look and see what I can find for you." He turned to his computer, and typed for a minute. He, apparently was not liking what he was seeing. A very soft "What the….." came from the other side of the desk. The man stood, and walked over to his file cabinet. He opened one of the drawers and flipped through several of the files, then pulled one out. He read for a moment, and nodded, then looked up, over at Eric. "I don't understand why his file was not updated, Detective. It would only have taken a minute to type in the material. Unfortunately, it's not possible to speak with him, because he's not here anymore, but he wasn't paroled either." He walked over to Eric and offered the file.

Eric took the file with a puzzled look. "I don't understand, Warden. If he's not here, and he wasn't paroled, then where is he?"

The Warden leaned against his desk and folded his arms across his chest. "He's dead, Detective."


	77. Chapter 77

Sorry about the long delay, folks. RL swept me away. Hopefully, I still have readers hanging around.

Here's the next installment.

Please enjoy.

Here we go.

********************

Chapter 77

Horatio, Calleigh, and Ryan made their way over to the hospital, and up to Stevie's floor and into his room, to find Stevie working on his laptop computer.

Horatio watched the boy as he worked with it for a moment, then asked. "Hey, partner, what're you doing?"

The youngster looked up. "Oh, hey, H." He also saw that they weren't alone. "Hi, Aunt Calleigh. Hey, there, Mr Ryan." He looked from one to the other. "What's going on?"

Horatio grinned. "We found a replacement Physical Therapist for you and we wanted to introduce him to you."

"Oh? Cool." Stevie replied, as he closed down his laptop. "You definitely have my attention."

Ryan grinned. "Ok. Here we go." He walked over to the land line phone and picked up the hand set. He typed a number into the keys, and put the hand set to his ear. After a moment, once the phone was answered on the other end, he said, into the phone. "It's time. Can you come up to room 525 West, please?" He put the hand set back down on the cradle, and turned to look at Stevie and Horatio. "He's on his way. He'll be here in a few minutes."

Sure enough, after a few minutes, there was a knock on the door. "You in here, Ryan?"

"Yup. Come on in, Ernie." When the man walked in, Ryan angled him over to the bed. "Stevie, this is my buddy, Ernie. He works as a Physical Therapist here at the hospital. He's agreed to help you with your therapy as well." Turning to Ernie, Ryan continued with the introductions. "Ernie, this is Stevie. He's the patient we were telling you about."

Ernie held his hand out to the youngster. "Hey, there, Stevie. It's my pleasure to meet you."

Stevie shook the man's hand. "Same here, Ernie." Stevie chuckled as he shook his head.

Ernie traded a quick, confused look with Ryan, as he turned back to the youngster. "What's wrong, Stevie?"

Stevie chuckled once again. "Nothing, Ernie." He looked up at the man. "If you're Ernie, does that make him, 'Bert'?" He pointed toward Ryan.

Ryan rolled his eyes as Horatio and Ernie laughed.

"Stevie, you are so bad." Horatio told the youngster with laughter in his voice.

Stevie looked surprised at the men. "Me? You guys caught the joke. I wasn't sure you'd get it."

"We actually get it fairly often, Stevie." Ryan told him. "Yes, I'm 'Bert' to his Ernie."

"Did you ever play the 'Q' game with him, Ernie?" Stevie asked, innocently.

Horatio and Ernie laughed heartily at the youngster's question, and Ryan looked confused for a moment.

"You know, 'Bert'. '10-Q', '10-Q', '10-Q'." Ernie reminded Ryan.

Ryan laughed, then replied. "Oh, yeah. I remember, Ernie. 'You're welcome, Ernie, You're welcome." Ryan mimicked 'Ernie's laugh from Sesame Street.

Now it was Stevie who laughed so heartily. "That's the one, guys, that's the one."

When Stevie's laughter slowly died down, Ernie casually looked the youngster over. He noticed that they had been working in the gym, but how much pre-gym testing had the fake PT done before hand was anyone's guess.

"Stevie, Aunt Calleigh tells me that you've been in your chair for just about six months, right?" Ernie slowly asked.

Stevie nodded, unsure of where this was going. "Yes, sir."

"Ok. Before you got into your chair and went to the gym, did Dennis do any kind of testing on you, to see where your threshold was, or your spasticity, or if you had any feeling below your threshold, anything of this nature?"

Stevie thought about it for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "None of that sounds familiar, Ernie. Why?"

Ernie shook his head, then turned to look at Horatio. "That alone tells me that, yes, he was most definitely a fake. This testing is mandatory, not only for the patient's safety, but also as a measurement of any discomfort that the patient may experience." He walked around the bed, then looked over at Horatio. "Lt, could I get you to come over for a minute?"

As Horatio stepped up to the bed, Ernie moved the roll-a-way table out of the way, then lifted the blanket and top sheet to see if Stevie was clothed decently, or if they needed to move it out of the way discretely. When he saw that Stevie wore a pair of gym shorts, Ernie moved the blanket, and the top sheet down to the foot of the bed, completely out of the way. "Ok, Stevie. Here's what we are going to do. I'm going to run some of those tests I was asking you about."

Ernie sat Stevie's file on the table. He then turned back to Stevie and Horatio. "Here's what we're going to do. First, we're going to test your threshold." He pulled an ink pen looking item from his pocket, then held it up for Stevie and Horatio to see. "This is a stylus. It's not sharp at all. Here, feel." He offered the stylus to the youngster, then to Horatio. Each of them felt the tip and noticed that it was not sharp at all. "What I'm going to do is to poke you with the stylus, gently, and the object of the exercise is for you to tell me when it changes."

"I can do that, Ernie." Stevie told the man after he glanced briefly over at Horatio.

Ernie also looked over briefly at Horatio. When the red head nodded, Ernie looked over at Stevie. "Ok, Stevie. Close your eyes, please, and tell me when you can't feel me poke you any more. Ok?"

"Ok, Ernie." Stevie replied. He reached up for Horatio's hand. The red head reached down and gripped the youngster's hand, nodding his support to Stevie

Stevie leaned his head back as he closed his eyes.

Ernie started poking Stevie just above the band of his shorts, then slowly moved down.

Stevie grinned, and tried to move away.

Horatio squeezed the youngster's hand as he asked. "What's wrong, Stevie?"

Stevie giggled then tried to squirm away. "I'm sorry, H, but that tickles."

Horatio grinned. "I'll bet it does." Horatio's cell phone rang just then.

"I'm ok, H. Go answer that." Stevie told the man.

Horatio turned to Calleigh, and motioned for her to take his place.

She nodded that she understood, and moved to take his place, just as he stepped away from the bed.

Ryan followed Horatio out of the room and out in the hallway.

Horatio looked at the Caller ID display, and saw that it was Eric calling him. He lifted the cover of his phone with his thumb and put the devise to his ear. "What have you got for me, Eric?"

"Well, H. I tried to speak with Jordan Miller, like you asked, but he was killed in a fight in the yard."

"Ok. When?"

"Approximately 9 months to 1 year ago."

"In other words 3 to 6 months before the accident?"

"Exactly. The Warden is photo copying the reports on the fight. I'll be back as quick as I can."

"Ok, Eric. Did the report say anything about what happened or why?"

"I'll let you read it for yourself, H, but the short version is that a fight broke out in the yard, and Jordan was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The investigation ruled it an accident."

"That's fine, Eric. Go ahead and take the paperwork back to the lab and slip it face down, under my door."

"No problem, H. How's Stevie?"

Horatio smiled. "He's fine, Eric. In fact, I wanted to ask, are you doing anything tomorrow?"

"No. Why?"

"I was thinking that we'd try to get Stevie out of the hospital for the day." Horatio explained.

"That sounds like a great idea, H. Count me in." Eric agreed.

"Ok. Let's meet over at the lab, then we can come over to the hospital together." Horatio suggested.

"That's a good idea, H." Eric replied. "It'd be good to get him out of the hospital, at least for a little bit, anyway."

"Well, you would think so, but if Dr Fitzgerald doesn't agree, then we'll have to come up with a plan 'B'." Horatio argued.

"I think he will, H." Ryan pointed out. "I mean Stevie has made it very clear that he'll jump into his therapy with both feet first."

Horatio chuckled at the image. "That's very true, Mr Wolfe." He turned back to his phone. "Ok, Eric. Drop off the paper work at my office and we'll catch up in the morning, there at the lab."

"That sounds like a plan to me, H." Eric hung up.

Horatio closed his phone, and put it back into his inner coat pocket. He then turned to look at Ryan. "What about you, Mr Wolfe. Would you be available tomorrow? If you have plans, just say so, I'll understand." He reminded the younger man.

Ryan shook his head. "Nope. No, plans, H. I'll meet up with you guys at the lab."

Horatio grinned. "Thank you, Mr Wolfe. It'll mean a lot to Stevie. Let's keep the plans just to ourselves, at least for the moment. Ok?"

"Sure, H. That's not a problem." Ryan nodded.

"Ok. Let's go check on him."


	78. Chapter 78

Chapter 78

They walked back in to the room, to find Ernie standing there, staring down at Stevie's legs.

"What's going on?" Horatio asked.

"I'm checking for spasticity." Ernie replied.

"I don't understand." Horatio admitted.

Ernie looked up. "In other words, Lt, if any of the muscles in his legs, or at least below his threshold spasmed, or moved even though they shouldn't." As he put his hand on one of Stevie's legs, Ernie looked up, and noticed Horatio's still puzzled look. "What is it, Lt?"

"Well, if his spinal cord has been severed, how is it that messages from his brain are getting past the break in his spine, to go down to his legs?"

Ernie and Stevie trade a grin. "Well, Lt, in a situation where the break in the spinal cord is complete, a very small, minute number of the total 'messages' from the brain are making it over the break and down to the legs, where they were intended to go. Unfortunately, science has yet to explain sufficiently well enough, how those messages are getting through, but that others are not. In Stevie's instance, thought, the break in his spinal cord was what we call 'incomplete', meaning that there is still a small part of his spine that is still in one piece, and as a result, more of the total number of messages from the brain are able to get through, but not enough for him to still be able to walk, or to feel, either internal stimulus, or external. We need to know what his spasm level is like, now, so that if something happens, either he gets injured, or anything, and the spasms get worse, we'll know, and he'll know, when he gets home, if he's by himself, that something may be wrong, and to talk to his Mom, or Dr Fitzgerald about it." Ernie explained.

Horatio nodded. "Ok. I think I understand." He walked over to the bed. "I imagine it looks pretty weird to see your legs move all on their own?"

Stevie chuckled. "I'm kind of used to it at this point, H, but, yeah, it is kind of weird when they do. To see them move on their own, and to know that one, I'm not feeling it, and two, that I didn't ask them too, yeah, it's kind of weird." The youngster admitted.

Horatio also chuckled. "I'll bet."

"Ok, Stevie, I've pretty much done what I needed to do. Do you have any questions for me?" Ernie asked.

When the youngster shook his head, Ernie turned to Mom, questioningly. She also shook her head. Ernie then turned and looked over at Horatio. "Lt?"

"I think I'm ok as well, Ernie." Horatio replied.

"Ok." Ernie looked down at the youngster. "I'll see you in a few days, Stevie."

"Yup." Stevie agreed. As Ernie moved around the bed, toward the door, Stevie added. "We'll see you then, Ernie."

"Yes, we will, Ernie. Thanks a lot for all your help." Horatio also added.

"You're more than welcome. Lt." Ernie replied from the door. "Bye."

"Bye." Everyone replied.

Once Ernie was gone, Horatio looked at Stevie. "What were you working on when we first came in, Stevie?"

Stevie pulled the table back over towards himself. "I was working on my story, as well as the micros that I was making for a wallpaper for it." He told the older man.

Horatio looked thoroughly confused. "You were working on what?"

Stevie grinned. "The micros for my story. Here, H. I'll show you." The youngster went on to explain what he was talking about and how he was making the little characters.

Horatio nodded as the youngster made his explanation, however he was also thinking about something that Stevie had said. "How would you make a wallpaper with them?"

"Well, I'd start with select pictures of the various members of the crew, and I'd make a Micro of each of them, then I'd also add either pictures taken of you and the team, or, if I had to, I'd hand draw pictures of you, and I'd add them, with the Micros of each of you."

"Ok." Horatio replied slowly. "I think I understand. How far have you gotten? Can I see?" He asked.

Stevie nodded. "Sure. Come on over here, please, H." Steve turned his laptop around so that Horatio could see the screen. "Here's what I do, H, to make a micro." Stevie brought up several picture files to show Horatio what he was doing. "Each of these files is a template file. Basically, all I do, is copy and paste the hair, and clothes templates on to the body template, and, if I need to, I recolor something, like hair, shirt, etc."

"Ok, I get it, Stevie." Horatio told the youngster, then he asked. "How do you put the micros, as you called them, into the wallpaper?"

Stevie grinned. "Well, it helps to work on the micros with a white background, so that when you copy and paste them into the wallpaper, that the background is clear, and they can be inserted wherever you want to put them."

Before Horatio could have said anything further, Andi walked in with Stevie's dinner tray. "Dinner, Stevie. Put your school work away, so you can eat."

Stevie closed down his laptop, and set it to the side. "Ok, Andi."

"Ok, Stevie. Aunt Calleigh and I are going to take Mom somewhere for Dinner. We'll see you tomorrow, ok?" Horatio asked.

Stevie nodded. "Ok, H. We'll see you guys tomorrow. Thank you very much for all the help in finding another physical therapist."

Horatio's shy grin made a quick appearance, as he told the youngster. "You're more than welcome, Stevie. We're going to get you back up, and active again in no time flat."

"I know, H, but still, thanks a lot for all your help. We'll see you tomorrow."

The three adults walked out of the room, just as Stevie lifted the cover to his dinner.


End file.
